The National Assembly of Venezuela unanimously approved this Tuesday a project declaring nine former Latin American presidents who are members of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA) ‘persona non grata’.
The text expresses its rejection of the “disastrous and interfering statements” of a group of former presidents who “expressed their willingness to be present in Venezuelan territory on January 10, 2025 for the presidential inauguration.”
Among the former presidents are the Colombian Andrés Pastrana; the Paraguayan Mario Abdo Benítez; the Mexicans Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, as well as the Bolivian Jorge Quiroga, the Panamanians Ernesto Pérez Balladares and Mireya Moscoso, the Costa Rican Laura Chinchilla and the Ecuadorian Yamil Mahuad.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a free, sovereign and independent country under a democratic and social State of rights and justice that has demonstrated during the Bolivarian Revolution its firm commitment to the Constitution and International Law,” the letter reads, adding that Their actions seek to “hinder” the inauguration of President Maduro.
Likewise, the project affirms that the statements of the former presidents violate International Law, while they also evidence “the continuation of their frustrated agenda of aggression.” The text allows their “immediate expulsion” if they land in Venezuelan territory.
This comes after former Colombian president Andrés Pastrana confirmed in an interview with the NTN24 network that he would accompany former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González to the inauguration in the capital, Caracas.
Venezuela held presidential elections at the end of July in which the ruling party gave victory to President Nicolás Maduro, although the opposition has claimed its victory and has demanded that the authorities present the minutes that would support the president’s re-election.