WASHINGTON – Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, issued the following statement in support of Juan Guaidó as the Provisional President of Venezuela.
“On a historic day marking 61 years since the overthrow of a military dictatorship, the people of Venezuela are once again taking to the streets to defend their human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms. Today, Nicolás Maduro stands exposed as a dictator whose illegitimate and criminal government violates the basic interests of all Venezuelans.
“The Venezuelan National Assembly remains the country’s one remaining democratic institution. We stand in solidarity with Juan Guaidó as the Provisional President of Venezuela and his National Assembly colleagues as they advance a constitutional transition that includes new elections and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.
“Beyond our support for the National Assembly and today’s protests, the international community must expand coordinated efforts to combat Maduro’s networks of kleptocracy and money laundering. And, we must support initiatives to hold Maduro and his cronies accountable under the rule of law for their ongoing abuses against the Venezuelan people.”
###