[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1251-S1252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 414--CONDEMNING THE CONTINUED UNDEMOCRATIC MEASURES 
    BY THE GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA TO UNDERMINE THE INDEPENDENCE OF 
   DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND CALLING FOR A FREE AND FAIR ELECTORAL 
                                PROCESS

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Van Hollen, 
Mr. Leahy, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Coons, Mr. Reed, Mr. Kaine, and 
Mr. Sanders) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 414

       Whereas Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro continues to 
     take measures to consolidate an authoritarian government and 
     undermine the independence of democratic institutions in the 
     country;
       Whereas the Government of Peru, as host of the upcoming 
     Summit of the Americas, has indicated that President Nicolas 
     Maduro is not welcome to attend because of his failure to 
     uphold the region's shared commitment to strengthening 
     democracy and improving citizens' well-being;
       Whereas Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) 
     unilaterally called for a presidential election on April 22, 
     2018, despite the absence of an agreement between the 
     Government of Venezuela and the political opposition on the 
     conditions necessary for the electoral process;
       Whereas, on February 13, 2018, the Ministers of Foreign 
     Affairs of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa 
     Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, 
     Peru, and Saint Lucia, rejected the decision of the 
     Government of Venezuela to hold elections on April 22;
       Whereas these 14 Foreign Ministers stated that elections 
     would not be considered legitimate if the elections do not--
       (1) permit the participation of all Venezuelan citizens and 
     political parties;
       (2) include observation by credible international 
     organizations; and
       (3) meet recognized international standards;

       Whereas despite these denunciations, on February 21, 2018, 
     President Maduro stated that he wanted to hold elections for 
     the National Assembly, state legislative councils, and 
     municipal councils in conjunction with the presidential 
     election scheduled for April 22;
       Whereas, in January 2018, Venezuelan authorities banned the 
     Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), the principal coalition of 
     opposition parties, and leading opposition political parties 
     Voluntad Popular and Primero Justicia, from participating in 
     the presidential election;
       Whereas Venezuela's December 2017 municipal elections and 
     October 2017 gubernatorial elections failed to meet 
     recognized international standards;
       Whereas, in July 2017, Venezuela held fraudulent elections 
     to install a National Constituent Assembly, a parallel 
     legislature that undemocratically usurped the constitutional 
     authorities vested in the country's democratically-elected 
     National Assembly;
       Whereas Smartmatic, the company that manufactured the 
     electronic voting technology, confirmed that--

[[Page S1252]]

       (1) the result of the July 2017 National Constituent 
     Assembly election was manipulated; and
       (2) a change of more than 1,000,000 votes occurred in the 
     final tabulation;

       Whereas a global coalition of more than 40 countries have 
     rejected the installation of Venezuela's National Constituent 
     Assembly and refused to recognize it as a legitimate 
     institution;
       Whereas the collapse of democratic governance and the 
     proliferation of political corruption, criminal violence, 
     failed economic policies, and hyperinflation have created a 
     devastating humanitarian crisis in Venezuela;
       Whereas the majority of Venezuela's citizens lack access to 
     essential medicines and basic food supplies;
       Whereas the precarious humanitarian conditions in Venezuela 
     have prompted hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan citizens to 
     emigrate, which is fueling a migration and refugee crisis in 
     neighboring countries;
       Whereas, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal 
     Court has stated that the Office of the Prosecutor will open 
     a preliminary examination of the Venezuelan Government's use 
     of torture and excessive force against demonstrators and the 
     arbitrary detention of thousands of anti-government 
     protesters;
       Whereas, despite the presence of international mediators, 
     the Government of Venezuela failed to credibly participate in 
     negotiations with the country's political opposition in order 
     to reach an agreement that would--
       (1) restore democracy;
       (2) free political prisoners;
       (3) facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid; and
       (4) establish conditions for legitimate democratic 
     elections:

       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls on the Government of Venezuela to postpone the 
     presidential election and any concurrent National Assembly, 
     state legislative council, or municipal council elections 
     scheduled for April 22, 2018, until--
       (A) international and local election observers from 
     credible organizations are allowed to observe the electoral 
     process, including the pre-election period, and determine a 
     legitimate process;
       (B) the National Electoral Council is led and staffed by 
     nonpartisan members that have the confidence of contesting 
     parties;
       (C) opposition parties and candidates are free to 
     peacefully compete in the election without threat of arrest, 
     harassment, or retribution, including access to government 
     controlled media;
       (D) arrangements are made for all Venezuelan voters, 
     including those residing outside of Venezuela, to be able to 
     participate in the election; and
       (E) there is no implied or direct link between an 
     individual's vote and the government food rations to which 
     the individual is eligible and no record is retained of a 
     voter's choice for any reason related to government benefits, 
     including retaliation;
       (2) denounces as illegitimate any presidential election in 
     Venezuela that fails to meet the standards described in 
     paragraph (1);
       (3) condemns the steps taken by President Maduro--
       (A) to consolidate an authoritarian government in 
     Venezuela; and
       (B) to undermine the independence of democratic 
     institutions such as the National Assembly of Venezuela, the 
     Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela, and the National 
     Electoral Council of Venezuela;
       (4) rejects the Venezuelan Government's efforts to blame 
     the country's economic, humanitarian, and political crisis on 
     other actors instead of recognizing that the crisis was 
     caused by its own malfeasance and criminality;
       (5) urges the Government of Venezuela--
       (A) to permit the unobstructed delivery of humanitarian 
     assistance to the people of Venezuela; and
       (B) to stop using food as a tool of political coercion;
       (6) condemns the Government of Venezuela for failing to 
     credibly participate in internationally mediated 
     negotiations--
       (A) to restore democracy;
       (B) to free political prisoners; and
       (C) to permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
       (7) supports the decision of the Government of Peru, as 
     host of the Eighth Summit of the Americas, to not invite 
     President Maduro; and
       (8) supports the efforts of the Office of the Prosecutor of 
     the International Criminal Court to examine the Venezuelan 
     Government's use of torture, excessive force, and arbitrary 
     detentions against Venezuelan citizens.

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