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The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has regretted the recent arrest of two members of the campaign team of the opposition unity candidate for the Venezuelan presidential elections, María Corina Machado, and has rejected “any development that could prevent electoral guarantees” . This was stated by Guterres’ deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where he stressed the need to “guarantee the right to vote and to be elected through periodic elections.” “The Secretary General underlines the importance of the international community continuing to engage with the parties to create a negotiated roadmap for the elections,” said Haq, pointing directly to the Barbados Agreements reached between the Government and opposition platforms. After these statements, the vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, has directly charged against the highest representative of the United Nations for having “never” spoken out about the “founded threats of assassination” against the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, or against the plans ” destabilization and violence” allegedly orchestrated by the opposition. “We maintain permanent communication with Secretary General Guterres and we will continue to do so to alert him not only about plans hatched abroad with the support of Venezuelan extremism against the tranquility of the country, but also about the serious threat to the peace of the region by the United States. “, he pointed out. Finally, Rodríguez has regretted that Guterres “disdains the internal and external threats” against the Venezuelan population, and that he “positions his opinions with his back to the country.” “Venezuela will continue its path in defense of democracy, peace and the happiness of the people,” the Venezuelan vice president concluded on her social networks. Venezuelan authorities confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of Henry Álvarez and Dignora Hernández, two senior officials from Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela; and announced arrest warrants for seven other figures in the opposition leader’s campaign for allegedly orchestrating a plan to “destabilize the country.” These latest events occur within the framework of a campaign of arrests in Venezuela after Maduro stated in January that last year the authorities had managed to prevent up to four assassination attempts against him planned from the United States and Colombia. Maduro came to power in 2013 and will be the official candidate for the presidential elections next July in which he will seek a third term. The opposition chose Machado in primaries as a unitary candidate, but it is unknown if he will finally participate due to a fifteen-year disqualification confirmed by the Supreme Court.
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