The group of six former Latin American presidents invited by the Venezuelan opposition as companions in the legislative election, arrived yesterday in Caracas and evoked the letter from the secretary general of the OAS, Luis Almagro, in which he expressed concern over the electoral process.
"I think the framework with which we are going to move is the letter of the secretary of the OAS to the CNE (National Electoral Council), which is like a pre-election observation mission which clearly makes a number of comments (...) against the electoral process will take place, "he told reporters Colombian president Andres Pastrana.
Pastrana made the remarks upon arrival at the Simón Bolívar International Airport, which serves Caracas.
At the invitation of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), Pastrana and exgobernantes Jorge Quiroga (Bolivia), Mireya Moscoso (Panama), Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay) and Laura Chinchilla Costa Rica Miguel Angel Rodriguez and participate as international observers of This process.
After landing, the six exmandatarios expressed their "concerns" about the parliamentary elections to be held in Venezuela on Sunday.
"Obviously there are huge concerns, through the OAS Secretary Almagro has issued a letter in a kind of pre-election report information showing that there have been many abuses," Quiroga said.
The former heads of state, members of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (Idea), agree on the vision of the electoral process Almagro said in his letter last November 10 the president of the CNE, Tibisay Lucena.
Almagro showed in his letter concerns about opposition politicians disabled, rejected the "opportunism" of the Venezuelan government for campaigning and reminded Lucena that their obligation is that conditions allow the holding of elections in a "fair and transparent" .
Meanwhile, Lacalle recalled that in Venezuela in 2007 the Venezuelan opposition won the victory in the constitutional referendum to allow presidential indefinite mandate, which was recognized by President Hugo Chavez, an action, he said, "honored the regime Venezuelan".
"You say there is a tradition of respect for the vote" in Venezuela, said Lacalle.
The former head of the Government of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla said that Venezuela "has at this time no missions (election) with sufficient conditions" to accompany the elections.
"Yes there are various efforts, such as ours, to accompany the Venezuelan Democrats, who are the vast majority who have been aspiring to make a conscious decision, a decision alone," he said.
In Caracas the presidents plan to offer Friday morning a press conference, said Pastrana.
Also part of the international support of the Venezuelan elections, invited by the CNE, the president of the Spanish government José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the former president Martin Torrijos Panamanian and Colombian Senator Horacio Serpa.
Likewise, UNASUR has sent a mission of accompaniment composed of about 40 representatives of electoral organizations of the continent and chaired by former president Leonel Fernandez Dominican.
On Sunday Venezuelans will vote to renew the 167 seats in the National Assembly (AN, unicameral). EFE