BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva President Trump said Monday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should respect the results of elections scheduled for Sunday, and said he was “horrified” by Maduro’s comments about the possibility of a post-election massacre.
The veteran leader plans to send his top diplomat to neighboring Venezuela as a poll monitor.
“President Maduro knows that the only chance Venezuela has of returning to normal is to have an electoral process that everyone respects,” Lula told reporters at the presidential palace in Brasilia. “He has to respect the democratic process.”
Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013, following the death of his predecessor and leader, Hugo Chavez. The 61-year-old Maduro has won elections that his opponents have deemed not free and fair, and his 2018 re-election was widely viewed as a sham because the main opposition party and candidates were barred from taking part in the election.
His main enemy is Edmundo GonzalezFormer diplomat chosen by opposition coalition to replace fiery leader Maria Corina Machado On the ballot.
“If President Maduro wants to bring economic growth back to Venezuela and help those who have left return and establish conditions for economic growth, he needs to respect the democratic process,” Lula said.
Lula, who has long refused to publicly criticize Venezuela’s leaders, said he would send former foreign minister Celso Amorim to monitor Sunday’s election, and other Brazilian observers will also be present.
“I was scared when President Maduro said that if he lost there would be bloodshed, and if he lost he would go home and prepare for the next elections,” Lula said.
In recent weeks, Maduro and his supporters have increasingly spoken of post-election violence, arguing that the opposition will stage violent demonstrations to reject the results of an election that the ruling party claims as its victory.
“The fate of Venezuela depends on our victory,” Maduro said at a rally this month. “If we want to avoid bloodshed and a fraternal civil war sparked by fascists, we must guarantee the greatest electoral victory in our history.”
Lula also said: Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega Brazil’s president asked on behalf of Pope Francis about the leftist leader’s decision to expel more than a dozen Catholic priests from the Central American country, but Ortega was not answering his calls, he said.
“Nicaragua has become a problem for Nicaragua,” Lula said, adding that he was open to talks with other leaders, including Argentine President Javier Milley.
“But first he needs to apologize,” the Brazilian leader added. Millais has criticized President Lula and has avoided speaking with him since he took office.
The 78-year-old Brazilian leader, in his third term governing the South American country, said he has deep respect for U.S. President Joe Biden. his decision to withdraw from the Democratic nomination Looking ahead to this year’s elections, he said he would work with whoever wins.
“Whether it’s the Democratic candidate or (Republican candidate Donald) Trump, our relationship will be an important bilateral and civilizational relationship,” Lula said.
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Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano contributed to this report from Caracas.
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