Venezuelan FM rejects ultimatum for election

Venezuela’s foreign minister rejected a European ultimatum yesterday to hold elections within eight days, insisting that Nicolas Maduro remained the legitimate president despite US-led pressure.

“Nobody is going to give us deadlines or tell us if there are elections or not,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told a special session of the United Nations Security Council. “How is it that you can issue an ultimatum to a sovereign government?” he asked. Hours earlier, Britain, France, Germany and Spain told Maduro that he had eight days to organize elections or they would recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.

The United States and a number of Latin American nations have already recognized Guaido amid a mounting political and economic crisis that has led more than two million Venezuelans to flee. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, addressing the Security Council session, urged all nations to “stand with the forces of freedom” and back Guaido.

He did not stay for Arreaza’s remarks. Maduro was sworn in two weeks ago for a second term of office after winning elections last May that were boycotted by the opposition and branded a fraud by the European Union, US and several Latin American countries. Since being elected president of Venezuela’s parliament last month, Guaido has launched a challenge to Maduro’s authority and wants to set up a transitional government leading to new elections.

Earlier on Friday, Maduro said he would be willing to hold talks with Guaido, which Mexico offered to host, in a bid to find a solution to the political impasse. But the opposition leader rejected that and instead called on his supporters to take to the streets next week in a “major demonstration.”