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![handle is hein.crs/govedld0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C I Research Service
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9
Updated May 26, 2021
Venezuela: International Efforts to Resolve the Political Crisis
Background
Venezuela, still under the authoritarian rule of Nicolas
Maduro, is mired in a deep economic and humanitarian
crisis worsened by the Coronavirus Dis ease 2019 (COVID-
19) pandemic. Maduro-narrowly elected in 2013 after the
death of Hugo Chavez (president, 1999-2013)-and the
United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) took de facto
controlof the National Assembly, thelast independent
branch of government, in January 2021. Maduro has
resisted U.S. and internationalpressure to step down.
Meanwhile, internationals upport for opposition leader Juan
Guaid6, the former NationalAs sembly president once
regarded as interimpresident by the United States and
nearly 60 countries, appears to have stagnated.
Maduro has consolidated politicalcontrol over Venezuela,
but the country's economy and social conditions continue to
deteriorate. Since April2021, the Maduro governmenthas
made gestures that some observers s ay demonstrate a
willingnes s to negotiate with the opposition in exchange for
relief from U.S. sanctions. Maduro allowed the World Food
Programto begin operating, released s ixU.S.-Venezuelan
oil executives to housearrest, and backedthelegislature's
selection of an electoral commission with two of five
rectors fromthe opposition. On May 11, 2021, Guaid6
called for, and Maduro appeared to agree to, resuming
Norway -led negotiations suspended in September 2019.
Guaid6 seeks foreign aid and COVID-19 vaccines, as well
as a broad electoral accord leading to free and fair elections.
The internationalcommunity remains divided over how to
respond to the political crisis in Venezuela. Although the
United States stillrecognizes Guaid6 as interimpresident,
many European Union(EU) member states and Western
Hemisphere countries do not. Biden Administration
officials have backed Guaid6's call for negotiations but
remain wary ofMaduro's intentions and appear unlikely to
lift U.S. sanctions in the short term. EU member states
strongly support a res umption in negotiations. Russia,
China, and Cuba have remained silent on the possible
resumptionin negotiations. Without pressure to make
concessions fromMaduro's externalbackers and unity in
the opposition, negotiations could again prove unsuccessful
United Nations
In 2019-2020, the U.N. Security Council discussed the
situation in Venezuela, but divisions among U.N. members
blocked resolutions in response to the crisis. Russia and, to
a les ser extent, China support Maduro; the United States
supports Guaid6. Despite that polarization, U.N. agencies
are increasing humanitarian relief in Venezuela after
securing approvalin April2019 from Maduro and Guaid6.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the
International Organization for Migration are coordinating to
serve some oftheroughly 5.6 million Venezuelans whohad
left the country as of May 2021 and their host communities.
An independent fact-finding mis sion of the Office of the
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has
documented statehumanrights abuses against civilians that
it describes as amounting to crimes against humanity.
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS), a regional
multilateral organization that includes all 35 independent
countries of the Western Hemisphere (Cuba currently does
not participate), has focused attention on Venezuela's
political cris is. Since 2016, OAS Secretary-General Luis
Almagro has is sued reports on Venezuela, convened special
ses sions of the Permanent Council to discuss regional
responses to the crisis, and spoken out against Maduro. In
2017, Maduro denounced the OAS for meddling in his
country's domestic affairs and began a two -year process to
withdraw from the organization.
The OAS requires 18 votes to pass a resolution of the
Permanent Council. In January 2019,19 of 34 member
states approved a resolutionrefusing to recognize the
legitimacy ofMaduro's secondtermand urging allmember
states to adopt measures to facilitate theprompt restoration
of democratic order in Venezuela. After Maduro withdrew
his OAS ambassador, the Permanent Council welcomed the
Venezuelan National Assembly's permanentrepresentative
to the OAS in April 2019. The United States and 11 other
OAS member states that are parties to the Inter-American
Treaty of ReciprocalAssistance have imposed targeted
sanctions and travelbans on Maduro government officials.
Some observers praise Almagro's activismon Venezuela;
others assert he has sided too closely with the opposition
and is unlikely to help broker a diplomatic solution to the
crisis. The OAS General Secretariat praised the interim
government's recent negotiation initiativebut dismis sed the
influence in these [and past] negotiations of
collaborationist actors, both frominside and outside the
[Maduro] dictatorship.
Lima Group
In mid-2017, efforts to reach consensus on an OAS
response to the crisis in Venezuela appeared to stall. On
August 8,2017, 12 Western Hemisphere countries signed
the Lima Accord, which rejected the rupture of democracy
and systemic human rights violations in Venezuela;
signatory countries included Argentina, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, andPeru. In 2018, Guyana and
St. Lucia joined the Lima Group, which did not recognize
Maduro's May 2018 reelection.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govedld0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)