"The choice of the Venezuelan people was stolen": Sybiga comments on Maduro's inauguration.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, concurred with the views of European nations that Nicolás Maduro did not win the presidential elections in Venezuela and that his inauguration is fraudulent.

He wrote about this on social media platform X.

“Ukraine aligns itself with the EU's stance. The so-called ‘inauguration’ of Nicolás Maduro was a fabrication. The choice of the Venezuelan people has been stolen,” Sybiha stated.

The diplomat emphasized that Ukraine will continue to support the people of Venezuela and advocate for the respect of their civil rights and freedoms.

The day before, the EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, declared that the European Union stands with the people of Venezuela regarding the defense of democracy.

“Maduro has no democratic legitimacy. The new sanctions target individuals who undermine democracy and human rights. We will continue to work with all Venezuelans towards a democratic resolution of the crisis,” she wrote on her X account.

The Foreign Minister of Iceland, Þórgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, also noted that Iceland supports the EU's statement regarding Venezuela.

“We call for an independent and transparent verification of the election results. The will of the Venezuelan people and their human rights must be respected, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” she tweeted.

Recall that on July 29, 2024, Venezuela's CEC announced that Maduro had once again won the presidential elections. According to the opposition, 70% of voters supported Maduro’s competitor, Edmund González Urrutia. Following the announcement of the election results, protests erupted in Caracas and several other cities. Security forces used tear gas. The Venezuelan human rights organization PROVEA reported that pro-Maduro armed groups fired on peaceful demonstrators. Maduro claimed that the majority of protesters are “hate-filled criminals” and that their plan was allegedly devised in the USA.

Maduro's inauguration in Venezuela took place on January 10, as reported by the Associated Press.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the US authorities offered Nicolás Maduro to voluntarily resign from the presidency in exchange for dropping all criminal charges against him.