By The Star Staff
The speaker of the island House of Representatives, Rafael Hernández Montañez, announced Sunday at a press conference, accompanied by Reps. Jorge Alfredo Rivera Segarra and Jesús “Chui” Hernández Arroyo, that he has called all members of the lower chamber to a special session to address two issues.
The first matter is to express the strongest censure on the part of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives regarding the serious human rights violations that have occurred in Venezuela under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro; to repudiate the continuous allegations of fraud that have occurred during the recent electoral cycle to perpetuate Maduro’s authoritarian regime; to denounce the lack of transparency of the National Electoral Council in disclosing the minutes containing the results obtained by each polling station; to demand the end of the dictatorship; and to demand that the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, be recognized as the winner of the elections held on July 28, 2024 and that an orderly and peaceful transition begin in order to protect the democratic will of the Venezuelan people.
In addition, during the special session a forensic audit will be conducted on the use of federal funds in the public-private partnerships entered into by the island government, which will be led by experts on the subject.
“Currently, our Venezuelan brothers live under a regime of terror and a constant violation of their human rights, the product of a totalitarian government led by Nicolás Maduro that does not respect the free vote of its citizens,” Hernández Montañez said in a written statement. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the humanitarian crisis facing the neighboring country. Therefore, I have called on all representatives to debate and approve House Resolution 1189 with the purpose of expressing the strongest censure against the government of Nicolás Maduro in light of the serious violations of human rights that have occurred under his mandate. The country will have the opportunity to learn the position of each representative in light of the serious allegations of fraud that occurred during the last electoral cycle to perpetuate a dictator in power and the lack of transparency of the National Electoral Council in disclosing the minutes containing the results obtained.”
Rivera Segarra said that “through this appeal, the House is entering into the international debate to demand the end of the dictatorship, to demand that the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, be recognized as the winner of these elections and that an orderly and peaceful transition be initiated …”
Hernández Montañez emphasized that “the measure will be debated and voted on by voice vote so that the position of each of the representatives at this historic moment is recorded in the minutes of the sessions.”
“Any representative who is absent that day will be understood to have shirked his or her duty and, therefore, to support the dictatorial policy of Nicolás Maduro,” he said. “Enough of using subterfuges to avoid assuming a clear and forceful position on this issue: either we are on the side of the cry for freedom of our Venezuelan brothers or we are against it.”
What an insightful article! It highlights a significant move by the Puerto Rico House of Representatives to address human rights violations and electoral fraud in Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Slope Game
The island House of Representatives' speaker, accompanied by PPD Representatives, announced Sunday that he called a special session to vote in favor of censuring Nicolas Maduro. Perhaps the gesture of inserting themselves in the international arena was a good idea; however, why not taking care of the challenges PR is currently facing which will strengthen their position.
Additionally, as they say, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones; the political history of the PPD, like that of the NPP, is a catalogue of maneuverings to stay in power for 76 years. To censure someone for something we have, more or less, done too doesn't sustain itself and decidedly undermine our credibility.
PR is at a crossroad that can…
The United States is a sovereign country with a Department of State which handles foreign affairs and a Congress that takes part in handling those foreign affairs. The US Congress is considering a resolution declaring the recent Venezuelan elections as fraudulent and demanding that the opposition leader be declared the winner in the elections.
There were hundreds of foreign election monitors from countries all over the world who have, for the most part, stated they saw no irregularities in the elections. The Venezuelan government has gone to the Supreme Court of Venezuela and asked that it investigate. The Supreme Court ordered all the candidates to appear. That process has started and is still ongoing. All the candidates who ran…