VENEZUELAN DEMOCRACY AND SOVEREIGNTY MUST BE RESPECTED

We the people of the world suffer from dispossession and injustice inflicted by US imperialism. We will no longer tolerate the lies and attacks against our brothers and sisters that decide to not follow the plans of the White House. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, its legitimate government and its people are a clear example of this. Today Venezuela is the target of the global hypocrites because of its achievements, and for being an example of dignity and anti-imperialist struggle.

On December 6, 2020, in Venezuela a new electoral process will be carried out to elect a new National Assembly - the representative legislative instrument of the Venezuelan people. The call for elections was made after reaching an agreement between the ruling party and a significant proportion of opposition parties in order to guarantee that the elections would be an effective expression of democracy within the county, and for there to be participation of all political parties. Around 14,000 candidates are contesting the 267 seats. It is important to highlight that of the 107 parties registered to participate in the elections, 98 are from the opposition. With this information, whoever says that there is no plurality of voices, or says that Venezuelan democracy is “weak” is clearly looking the other way.

In fact, a week democracy is the opposite of what happens in Venezuela. These elections will bring the total number of electoral processes within Venezuela since 1998 to 25. This is a clear sign of a strong democracy. Venezuelan democracy is characterized by participation and protagonism of the people. Unlike the false liberal democracy of the countries that defend coup d’états and attempts of imperialist intervention, the primary constituent is the most important actor. In prior electoral process when opposition candidates or parties have won offices, whether it be in the National Assembly, the governorships, or mayor’s offices, these results have always been respected and upheld. This was also the case when Chavismo lost the Referendum for the Constitutional Reform in 2007.

Despite having carried out more electoral processes than the majority of the countries of the region, Venezuelan democracy is systematically and constantly attacked by imperialist countries and by their local collaborators. In addition to disrespecting the electoral sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic, these actors permanently beg for the intensification of the so-called “sanctions” against the Venezuelan people and even partake in international lobbying to encourage military interventions.

We find it very curious that international organisms like the Luis Almagro led OAS, which confessed its responsibility for the coup d’état in Bolivia in 2019; the European Union; and the Lima Group, which is nothing more than a club of corrupt, puppet, human rights-violating governments including Peru, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, have already declared that they will not recognize the electoral process in Venezuela, and use mainstream media to amplify this assertion. Meanwhile they remain silent about the tragi-comic electoral show in the USA where president Donald Trump, like an emperor, clings on to power ignoring the electoral defeat in the democratic system that is always sold as an example to the world.

As anti-imperialist, ALBA Movements and the International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle stand with the causes of the people. As such we are calling for the Anti-Imperialist Week in Support of the Venezuelan Elections from December 1-8:

1. We support the elections of the National Assembly that will be held on December 6 in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela called for by the legitimate and legal authorities of the Latin American country;
2. We demand the end of the criminal economic-financial blockade against Venezuela and to the permanent aggression from US imperialism that has served to worsen the living conditions of the working class, in Venezuela, which has intensified further in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. We hope that the upcoming elections on December 6 serve to recover the National Assembly for the Venezuelan people, putting an end to the utilization of this body to push the coup agenda and execute the maneuvers of the imperialist hybrid war with its local servants.
4. With this complex context of imperialist siege that puts the sovereignty and self-determination of  Venezuela at risk, solidarity with the Venezuelan people and the denunciation of the acts of aggression of US imperialism and its European allies are necessary tasks of all anti-imperialists.

Imperialism is the principal enemy of humanity.

December 1st, 2020.

Anti-imperialist greetings,

International Week of Anti-Imperialist Struggle