Venezuelan National Assembly asks government to cut diplomatic and trade relations with Spain

On September 11, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez requested the severance of diplomatic, commercial and consular relations with Spain, following the Spanish Parliament's decision to recognize Edmundo González as the South American country's elected president.

Panoramic view of a session of the Venezuelan National Assembly in Caracas.

Jorge Rodríguez's statement came hours after the Spanish Parliament called on the Government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to recognize Edmundo González, with the aim of ensuring that on January 10, 2025, this figure will take office as President of Venezuela.

However, the recognition by Spanish lawmakers is purely symbolic, as it is not binding on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who had previously ruled out recognizing Edmundo González as Venezuelan President. Former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González arrived in Madrid to seek asylum after a month in hiding following Venezuela's July 28 presidential election.

According to the vote count of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council in the recent election, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, 61 years old, was re-elected president for the 2025-2031 term, with 51.2% of the votes in favor.

Meanwhile, opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, representing the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), a coalition bringing together liberals, Christian socialists, socialists and conservatives, won 44.2% of the vote.

The President of the Venezuelan Electoral Council declared Mr. Maduro the winner. Accordingly, Mr. Maduro will serve a third consecutive term as President of Venezuela, bringing his total years in power to 18 with the support of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Meanwhile, the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia declared that he did not recognize the election results.

In recent years, the government of Nicolas Maduro has achieved remarkable results in economic recovery, ensuring social order and security and political stability.

During the election campaign, Mr. Maduro sent a message to the entire population that the country had built a great consensus towards a strong economic recovery; outlined the future of Venezuela through the completion of major strategic tasks around axes such as economic modernization, complete independence, peace, security and territorial integrity, social, political, ecological and geopolitical.

International organizations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), predict that Venezuela will be the fastest growing economy in Latin America in 2024, with an increase of 4.5%.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quoc-hoi-venezuela-yeu-cau-chinh-phu-cat-quan-he-ngoai-giao-thuong-mai-voi-tay-ban-nha-285938.html