Brazil lower house speaker wants to discuss Venezuela crisis
Brazil's lower house speaker Rodrigo Maia meets in Brasília Deputy Julio Borges, head of Venezuela's National Assembly.
Brazil's lower house speaker Rodrigo Maia argued for a meeting with congress members from South American countries on the political crisis facing Venezuela.
Maia made his statement today (Feb. 8) after meeting in Brasília with Deputy Julio Borges, head of Venezuela's National Assembly. “Our intention is to call a meeting with all parliaments in South America to address this particular case, so we can bolster the local integration among parliaments,” Maia argued.
A critic of President Nicolás Maduro's government, Borges also met with Senate president Eunício Oliveira in search of support for the opposition in the latter's country.
Calls for elections
During an interview, the president of the National Assembly asked Brazil to urge Venezuela to hold local and municipal elections. “Brazil must help us too, not just with regards to social problems, but also in offering support so that Venezuela can hold elections for mayor and governor. Last year, the government denied the gubernatorial elections, and it's not interested in holding any elections for mayor this year either,” he said.
Rodrigo Maia expressed his intention to approve in a lower house floor session a sort of motion in support of democracy in Venezuela and opposing its government. “Our intention is to draft a document that may be approved by our lower house with all of the topics concerning the gravity of Venezuela's situation,” he stated.
One of the topics listed in the document will aim to criticize a supposed decision by the Venezuelan government to prevent two congress members from leaving the country. They had their passports withheld as retaliation for opposing Maduro's government.
MERCOSUR without Venezuela
Maia advocated an assembly with MERCOSUR congresspeople and said he will consider the invitation for Congress representatives to visit Venezuela's parliament. He further said that he may be for invoking MERCOSUR'S so-called “democratic clause,” which may remove Venezuela from the commercial bloc.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Brazil lower house speaker wants to discuss Venezuela crisis
