European Parliament recognizes Venezuela’s exiled candidate as real president

The European Parliament on Thursday recognized Venezuela’s exiled presidential candidate Edmundo González as the country’s legitimate and democratically elected president.

The joint resolution was backed by the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the far-right Patriots for Europe, marking the first time since the June EU election that conservatives from across the right have united to pass a vote.

The resolution, which was adopted by a vote of 309 to 201 with 12 abstentions, is symbolic and holds no legal validity.

In the resolution, MEPs condemned the arrest warrant the Venezuelan government had issued against González, along with the killings, harassment and human rights abuses that have been directed against the democratic opposition and civil society, calling for an end to such “systematic” violations.

González left Venezuela and flew to Spain Sept. 8 after Madrid granted him asylum.

MEPs also noted that reports from international election observers “clearly” indicate that the July 28 Venezuelan presidential election failed to meet international standards for electoral integrity.

Tensions escalated Sunday after the Venezuelan government arrested three U.S. nationals and two EU citizens, accusing them of participating in a U.S.-led plot to kill Maduro and several members of his government. 

The EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell termed Maduro’s government “dictatorial” and “authoritarian” during an interview with a Spanish television channel Sunday.