The president of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, insisted this Tuesday on the need to move towards a new presidential election in Venezuela. His statements came after a meeting in Paris with opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, at a time of growing global concern about the institutional situation of the South American country.
Larcher expressed on the social network X that the meeting at the headquarters of the French Senate represented a significant moment. Highlighting that it was an honor to receive Machado, recognizing his political career and his role in the Venezuelan opposition for his “commitment to democracy.”
The French leader took advantage of the occasion to reiterate the position that Paris has consistently maintained in recent years regarding Venezuela, marked by questions about the electoral process, complaints about restrictions on political participation and calls to guarantee minimum democratic conditions.
He remembered that the Venezuelan crisisThis is not an isolated event, but the result of a prolonged deterioration of institutions, accompanied by political tensions, reports of persecution of the opposition and an electoral scenario widely questioned by international actors.
He assured that “the July 2024 presidential election It was stolen.” With this statement, Larcher reinforced the position of the Venezuelan opposition and governments and international organizations, which have demanded greater transparency, independent supervision and guarantees for political participation in the country.
Larcher highlights the urgency of a democratic transition in Venezuela
The president of the French Senate recalled that France has denounced the human rights violations in Venezuelaparticularly in relation to political freedoms, arrests of opponents and limitations on electoral activity.
These concerns, he noted, are part of constant monitoring by the European institutions regarding the evolution of the Venezuelan situation.
Larcher highlighted the urgency of a negotiated and sustainable political solution, and stressed that “a democratic transition is now urgent and indispensable.”
With this, he insisted on the need to reestablish conditions that allow Venezuelan citizens to fully exercise their right to vote, in a process that has verifiable guarantees, transparency and independent observation.
The meeting with Maria Corina Machado It is part of a series of meetings that representatives of the Venezuelan opposition have held in Europe in order to make the country’s situation visible and add international support to the demand for electoral conditions.
Larcher reiterated the central message of the conversation in Paris, stating: “We have insisted, together with Mrs. Machado, on the need to quickly organize a presidential election for Venezuelans.”
