On 5 February, the President of the Global Committee for the Rule of Law “Marco Pannella” Amb. Giulio Terzi was invited by TGCOM24 to talk about the crisis in Venezuela. After recalling the resolution adopted by the European Parliament with 439 votes in favor and 104 against to recognize Juan Guaidò as legitimate interim President, he siadd that “a coup d’état was carried out by Maduro when he barred opposition members from running in the presidential elections, jailing dissenting voices and creating conditions for holding elections under manu militari”. This is why the OAS, the United States, the EU and the UN agree on the illegitimacy of the May 2018 elections.
It is hardly surprising that Maduro is backed by China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, four countries with questionable records in terms of respect of the rule of law and democratic legitimacy. “Maduro is a dictator supported by drug traffickers; his 3000 generals – the three or four times more than the number generals of the entire U.S. army – manage logistics and all sorts of trafficking activities and they are responsible for incarcerations and killings. Thus, it is unthinkable to have Maduro leading an electoral transition, as Italian vice-president Mr. Di Maio claims”, said Giulio Terzi, underlining that “article 233 of the Constitution of Venezuela stipulates that in case of vacatio the interim presidency falls on the President of Parliament, namely Mr. Guaidò”.
The refusal by the Italian government to recognize the Venezuelan interim Presidency is of the utmost gravity, especially when the justification for this is the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs. Such position is untenable in the face of the offer presented by the Italian Government coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement, to make the Rousseau platform available to the Gilets Jaunes in France.
Matteo Angioli