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This article was written by Jeury Ruiz and appeared in RCC Noticias. Diputado español dice no hay condiciones para elecciones en Venezuela mientras Delcy siga en el poder; la califica de “criminal”.
Featuring Hermann Tertsch, Distinguished Fellow (Honorary), Gold Institute for International Strategy
Spanish MEP Hermann Tertsch of the Vox party, a journalist, said that the conditions needed to hold free elections in Venezuela do not currently exist as long as Delcy Rodríguez remains in power, while maintaining that the vast majority of Venezuelans aspire to a democratic outcome and to the return of the millions of citizens living outside the country.
During an interview given to the program Rumbo Radio, Tertsch called Rodríguez a “criminal.”
“Delcy is a criminal, just like everyone who is part of the repressive apparatus in Venezuela under chavismo. I mean to say that there is no explanation or justification for Delcy to remain there. It is an absolutely untenable situation and, in the United States, in Washington, they are beginning to realize it; more and more voices are saying so,” the lawmaker said.
He questioned her continuing at the head of Venezuela, considering that her remaining in power makes it unfeasible, under current circumstances, to hold an electoral process that could be considered truly free.
“Right now the conditions do not exist with Delcy in power; there are no conditions for elections,” said Tertsch, who nevertheless considered that they could be created within six months if a transition process begins to move forward with the participation of Venezuelans and the backing of the United States.
The writer also maintained that Venezuela needs a date for the elections and a timetable that lets the population know the steps and deadlines of the transition. In his view, that process must lead to a democratic outcome and allow the return of Venezuelans who are abroad.
Tertsch said that most Venezuelans want a democratic solution and that the roughly eight million citizens who, as he mentioned, are outside the country should be able to return. “The immense majority, 90-some percent of Venezuelans, want a democratic exit that is scheduled,” he said during the conversation.
“The Venezuelan regime is a Cuban regime”
At another point in the interview, Tertsch maintained that the Venezuelan political system answers to a “Cuban regime,” which he described as a model of great “perversity” and sophistication in its mechanisms of control and destabilization.
“The regime is a Cuban regime, and the Cuban regime is of an immense perversity and sophistication in its perversity,” he maintained.
The Spanish politician called on Venezuelans to avoid provocations, but at the same time to make clear that there is a majority demand for a democratic transition with concrete dates and conditions. “Do not fall for provocations,” he urged, warning about what he considers mechanisms used by the regime to generate fear and discourage any movement toward a transition.
Says María Corina Will Return to Venezuela Soon
The Spanish MEP said that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will return to the country “very soon,” despite attempts that, he said, have been thwarted. His statements came while addressing the political transition process in Venezuela and the conditions for holding future elections.
Hermann Tertsch maintained that Machado’s participation will be fundamental in any electoral process seeking to advance toward a democratic transition and considered it necessary that Venezuelans be able to return to the country and freely express their political will.
“I believe she is going to go to Venezuela, and she is going to go to Venezuela very soon. There are no elections without María Corina, there are no elections of any kind without Venezuelans returning and Venezuelans being able to express themselves freely,” he stated.
The MEP also proposed that Venezuela must advance toward an “orderly” democracy and said that process must respond to the criteria of Venezuelans themselves. He also expressed his expectation that progress will be made relatively soon in the country’s political transition.
His statements come amid the debate over Venezuela’s political future and the conditions that should be established for an eventual call for elections.
Read the full article at RCC Noticias
Hermann Tertsch is a Distinguished Fellow (Honorary) at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a Washington, D.C. foreign policy and defense think tank.
