Venezuelan Elections To Be a Democratic Party: President Maduro

On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro commented on the presence of international observers that the National Electoral Council (CNE) authorized for the presidential elections to be held on July 28.

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"Let the observers come if they wish. They have always come. They will be welcome, but they must respect Venezuelan sovereignty and constitution," he said, indicating that the CNE is an autonomous institution that can invite whoever it wishes.

"The CNE has invited the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the African Union, the BRICS, CARICOM, the Carter Center, an inter-American organization, observers, and even the European Union. If the Electoral Council decided so, then it will be so. Let them come because July 28 will be a celebration of freedom, democracy, and truth," Maduro stated.

The Bolivarian leader also highlighted the impact of unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States and its allies against the Venezuelan population.

"We are gradually recovering the country with our own effort and work as well as with a good plan and methodology. The sanctions made us lose 99 percent of our national income," Maduro said, adding that the Venezuelan economy is expected to grow by 8 percent in 2024.

The ongoing Haitian crisis

The Venezuelan president recalled that Haiti has been a victim of the U.S. interventionism that has "tormented and torn apart that country from within."

"In Haiti, there is an uprising of criminal gangs. Who is behind it? Who armed these criminal gangs? Where did the weapons come from? For four years, they have been denouncing that all the weapons came legally from the U.S. Why didn't the United States do anything? Who benefits from chaos in Haiti? Who has been calling for an invasion of Haiti?," Maduro asked.

He also pointed out that what is happening in Haiti is what Washington wanted to do in Venezuela through urban criminal gangs during the disturbances of 2014 and 2017.

"The objective was for the criminal gangs to attack the main cities, plunge the country into violence, and sink the economy to subsequently call for an invasion with foreign forces. These criminal gangs represent a new form of insurgency, which is applied to destabilize and dominate countries," he warned.

The Russian presidential elections

Regarding the presidential elections in Russia, which will begin on March 15, Maduro predicted the reelection of President Vladimir Putin for a new term.

"Europe, the U.S., and Ukraine believe that psychological warfare and the threat of a European military escalation will scare the Russian people into not voting for Putin. To all those who say they will send troops, I say: first, European peoples will not allow you to send even one soldier to a war against Russia; and second, you may escalate in language and psychological warfare, but you will never be able to stop what will happen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which is an overwhelming victory for Putin in the elections," he said.

The Venezuelan president also commented on the statements of Pope Francis, who urged Ukraine to raise the white flag and negotiate an end to the conflict.

"Pope Francis, one of the world leaders, spoke in favor of peace and called for negotiation to achieve what can only be achieved through peace and not through weapons... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, responded by insulting the Pope," Maduro said, commenting that Zelensky is increasingly resembling a clown as crude and defeated as the U.S.-backed opposition politician Juan Guaido.