EU states increase pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro: Germany, France and Spain have set the controversial president an eight-day deadline today. If Maduro does not call for new elections at this time, the German government is ready to recognize the self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, said the deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez commented on Twitter in almost identical terms. „We do not want to force governments out of power, but we want democracy and free elections in Venezuela,“ tweeted Sanchez.
Should Maduro let the deadline pass, Guaido, as a transitional president, should initiate such a political process. Yesterday, EU diplomats in Brussels announced that a joint statement of the 28 EU Member States in this direction was in the vote.
Split reactions
Maduro had officially started his second term on January 10th. However, most of the opposition boycotted the presidential election of May 2018 and did not acknowledge the outcome. On Wednesday, opposition parliamentary president Guaido declared himself interim president in mass protests. The US and a number of other Western and Latin American countries recognized him immediately – Russia and China in turn condemned this step.
UN Security Council advises
The UN Security Council is today deliberating on the power struggle in Venezuela in an emergency meeting. According to his ministry, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wants the other Security Council members to recognize Guaido as a „constitutional“ interim president. His interim government should be supported in restoring „democracy and the rule of law“ in the South American country
