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Background

Resolution on the Situation in Venezuela

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 5, 2018)

CONSIDERING that the Charter of the Organization of American States recognizes that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region and that one of the purposes of the OAS is to promote and consolidate representative democracy;

REAFFIRMING the right of the peoples of the Americas to democracy and the obligation of their governments to promote and defend it;

BEARING IN MIND that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; access to and the exercise of power in accordance with the rule of law; the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and the separation of powers and independence of the branches of government are, among other things, essential elements of representative democracy;

TAKING NOTE of the report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights “Democratic Institutions, the Rule of Law and Human Rights in Venezuela,” published on February 12, 2018, which reflects the political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis in that country;

RECALLING that, through its resolution CP/RES. 1095 (2145/18) of February 23, 2018, the Permanent Council requested the Government of Venezuela to reconsider the convening of presidential elections and to implement the measures necessary to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian situation, including accepting the assistance offered by the international community;

CONSIDERING that the aggravation of the political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis that has caused a deterioration in the standard of living in that country is generating an increasing emigration of Venezuelan citizens and is having impacts on the capacity of some countries of the Hemisphere to meet their different needs, including those pertaining to security, as evidenced at the meeting of the Permanent Council held on April 30, 2018;

RECALLING that resolution CP/RES. 1078 (2108/17) of April 3, 2017, declared that an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional order of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela had occurred;

UNDERSCORING that diplomatic initiatives offered by the Permanent Council and undertaken by several member states have either been rebuffed by the Venezuelan Government, or failed until now,

RESOLVES:

1. To declare that the electoral process as implemented in Venezuela, which concluded on May 20, 2018, lacks legitimacy, for not complying with international standards, for not having met the participation of all Venezuelan political actors, and for being carried out without the necessary guarantees for a free, fair, transparent and democratic process.

2. To reaffirm that only through a national dialogue with the participation of all Venezuelan political actors and stakeholders can national reconciliation be achieved and the necessary conditions agreed upon for holding a new electoral process that truly reflects the will of the Venezuelan citizens and peacefully resolves the current crisis in that country.

3. To reiterate that an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional order of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has occurred, as stated in resolution CP/RES. 1078 (2108/17) of April 3, 2017.

4. To urge the Government of Venezuela to take steps to guarantee the separation and independence of the constitutional branches of power and restore the full authority of the National Assembly, the rule of law, and the guarantees and liberties of the population.

5. To urge the Government of Venezuela to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and to implement epidemiological surveillance measures in its country to prevent the aggravation of the humanitarian and public health crisis, particularly against the reappearance of diseases such as measles, malaria, and diphtheria

6. To invite the member states to implement measures to address the humanitarian emergency in Venezuela, including supplying medicines, as well as considering contributions to the competent international organizations to strengthen the institutional capacities of the recipient countries.

7. To instruct the Permanent Council to identify, in coordination with the relevant inter-American and international institutions, the appropriate measures to support the member states that are receiving an increasing number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

8. To call upon the member and permanent observer states to implement, in accordance with their respective legal frameworks and applicable international law, the measures deemed appropriate at the political, economic, and financial levels to assist in the restoration of democratic order in Venezuela.

9. To remain seized of the situation in Venezuela in order to support diplomatic actions and additional measures that facilitate the restoration of democratic institutions and social peace, and that promote full respect for human rights and full adherence to the rule of law, within the constitutional framework of Venezuela and in a manner consistent with its international obligations and commitments.

10. To apply, in strict accordance with the letter and spirit of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the mechanisms for the preservation and defense of representative democracy provided under its Articles 20 and 21.


1)The delegations of Antigua and Barbuda and Bolivia stated that they will submit footnotes.

http://scm.oas.org/ag/documentos/Documentos/AG07680E06.doc

Reference: S-032/18