I wish Columbia all the very best for the Presidential Election that is taking place, and also to thank Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for pointing our direction to the Columbian Election. While I would like to learn more about the Columbian electoral process, I do think that it is critical and vital for countries within Latin and South America to have a leader that is democratically elected. Amongst many of the rationale: to obtain and gain public trust, and to create and maintain foreign relations.
A parallel to this thought can be drawn from the election of President Nicolás Maduro Moros of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. President Maduro is still leading Venezuela. One of the reasons why democratic nations refuse dialogue with him is because it is believed that Maduro’s victory is illegitimate. President Maduro’s leadership is also known as the Maduro Regime. He became the President of Venezuela from his successor Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. It must be noted that the President Maduro leadership / Regime is able to hold onto power, because of the strength of the army that is called the Republican National Guard (RNG).
President Maduro did call for an election in 2017. The electoral process and outcome is still viewed as illegal. As it is believed that Maduro did not abide to the constitution. Elections were called for in 2018, that were also rejected by the international community. President Maduro is still Venezuela’s new President from 2019-2025. However, 60 nations recognized Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (Juan Guaidó) as the interim leader, as was also stated by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, during a hearing at the United States Senate Committee of Foreign Relations (Ninth Summit of The Americas, 2022). Political resolutions and the road to recovery may be found if President Maduro is willing to step-down, or opens dialogue with nations to seek political resolutions (Venezuelan & Ausman, 2019, p. 4-5).
The Venezuelan example reveals the critical need for democratically elected leadership, particularly as we are drawn to the evolving concern for the protection of the Western Hemisphere, Latin / South America and the Americas.
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Related Blog Posts:
- THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND LATIN AMERICA, THE CASE FOR THE AMERICA’S.
- REFLECTION | AMERICA AND THE AMERICAS??
References:
United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. (2022, May 26). Ninth Summit of The Americas. Subcommittee Hearing. https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/ninth-summit-of-the-americas052622
Venezuelan, A., & Ausman, J. (2019). The devastating venezuelan crisis. Surgical Neurology International, 10, 145. https://doi.org/10.25259/SNI_342_2019
Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on May 29th 2022. All views and opinions are my own and cited as per required. Thank you.
With Love & Kindness! 🇺🇸
{HEART'S, FOREVER!} 