The European Parliament recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected president of the country with a non-binding resolution passed on Thursday (19 September).
The resolution, which passed with 309 votes in favor, 201 against, and 12 abstentions, also acknowledged María Corina Machado as the leader of Venezuela’s democratic forces.
The non-binding text was endorsed by a majority from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), and the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE).
However, an amendment proposed by the Social Democrats, Liberals, and Greens resulted in the text not explicitly urging the EU and its member states—who hold foreign policy authority—to recognize González Urrutia as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Thursday’s vote marked the first instance in the current European legislature where the EPP partnered with far-right EU groups instead of aligning with the Socialists (S&D) and the Greens, among others.
According to the document reviewed by EFE, MEPs call on the EU and its member states to do “everything possible” to facilitate González’s assumption of the presidency on January 10, 2025, while also seeking an international arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for crimes against humanity.
Additionally, they urged EU governments and the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, to reinstate sanctions against members of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) and to extend current sanctions on the regime “as a gesture of goodwill.”
