Venezuela's Maduro says EU, UN observers allowed to monitor elections
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says he welcomes international observers to monitor the country’s elections due to be held later this year.
Maduro said the "European Union, the secretary general of the United Nations" and "all the international organizations" are welcome to observe the legislative elections.
"Open doors for international accompaniment, Welcome! Welcome!," Maduro told the ruling Constituent Assembly.
The president, however, said head of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro would never be allowed for the elections.
The OAS has recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as “interim president” after he declared himself such early last year.
He pushed the country into political turmoil by rejecting the outcome of the May 2018 presidential election which Maduro won and calling for a new presidential election to be held.
Last week, Guido and his allied lawmakers held their own election for chief of Congress after the national assembly elected his rival, Luis Parra, as the speaker of the parliament.
Maduro endorsed his election, saying, "the national assembly has made a decision,” and "kicked out” US-backed Guaido from parliament.
Hours after Parra was sworn in, Guaido claimed that he had been re-elected as the speaker in that vote.
He later attempted to force his way into the chamber by jumping on top of a fence, but was blocked by members of the National Guard.
In an interview with CNN, he called on international community to “take action.”
In the wake of the parliamentary vote, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington recognized Guaido as the “president of the Venezuelan National Assembly.”
The US administration also imposed sanctions on leading opposition members of the Venezuelan parliament.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, however, rejected Washington’s “vulgar interventionism in Venezuela's internal affairs & institutions.”
"They still don't understand that we're an independent and sovereign country," he added.
In supporting Guaido, the US has already confiscated all Venezuelan state property in America, and hinted at the use of force to install the opposition figure.
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