EU warns Venezuela against controversial polls

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union is to "consider the adoption of adequate measures" in the wake of a controversial presidential and regional polls in Venezuela, saying the elections were held without "a national agreement, political pluralism, democracy, transparency, and rule of law".

Federica Mogherini, EU's foreign policy chief, in a statement urged Venezuela to "take concrete steps to fully respect the country’s constitution".

Mogherini said the elections with the highest abstention rate in the country over the last decades "could have been a crucial opportunity for all Venezuelan citizens to express, through a democratic, free and transparent process, their political will and thereby determine the future of the country."

"However," Mogherini said, "presidential and regional polls went ahead without a national agreement on an electoral calendar and without complying with the minimum international standards for a credible process, not respecting political pluralism, democracy, transparency, and rule of law."

"Major obstacles to the participation of opposition political parties and their leaders, an unbalanced composition of the National Electoral Council, biased electoral conditions, numerous reported irregularities during the Election Day, including vote buying, stood in the way of fair and equitable elections," Mogherini said.

"Therefore," she said, "the EU and its member states will consider the adoption of adequate measures."

The top EU diplomat also called on the Venezuelan government to release all political prisoners.

Mogherini said Venezuela "urgently" needed a political solution to end the current crisis and to deliver on its people most pressing humanitarian needs.

"The EU reiterates the need to restore the democratic process, and the importance that the country works towards a political and truly negotiated solution," she added.