WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues, issued the following joint statement after the selection of new members of the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Venezuela:
“The illegitimate actions of the Maduro regime, such as yesterday’s announcement of a new electoral authority, must not be validated. The Biden Administration must not fall for this scheme, which will only prolong Maduro’s authoritarian grip on the people of Venezuela. All who are genuinely concerned about the freedom and welfare of Venezuelans must stand firm in support of the conditions set out by the interim government of President Guaidó and the National Assembly, both of which were democratically elected in 2015 to resolve Venezuela’s crisis through legitimate, free, and fair presidential and legislative elections.”
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