Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Europe on collision course with US over Venezuela elections

Europe on collision course with US over Venezuela elections

The European Union is running the risk of winding up its most important ally next month, after the bloc agreed to send a team to observe Venezuela's regional elections, set to take place on November 21.

The vote comes after three particularly chaotic years in the country, where President Nicolas Maduro has managed to stay in power despite a collapsing economy, a contested election result in 2018 and US-backed efforts to remove him from power through coordinated Western sanctions -- which involved the EU.

However, earlier this year, the bloc dropped its recognition of Maduro's opponent, Juan Guaidó, as the legitimate president, placing it at odds with the US who still recognize Guaidó.

In some corners of the US, this has caused concern that by sending a delegation to the country for the first time since 2006, the EU will lend legitimacy to a process that will ultimately be won by Maduro, a strongman leader often described as a dictator.

A Venezuelan national flag flutters during a mass opposition rally against President Nicolas Maduro in which Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido (out of frame) declared himself the country's "acting president", on the anniversary of a 1958 uprising that overthrew a military dictatorship, in Caracas on January 23, 2019.


Andrés Oppenheimer wrote in the Miami Herald last week that for the past 16 years, "the EU had refused to send electoral observation missions to Venezuela, mainly because it considered, rightly, that elections there were a sham."

He concludes that on election night, "the EU mission will probably announce that there were no major irregularities, and an ecstatic Maduro will claim that he won a clean election. And several months later, when the EU mission puts out its final report looking at the entire election process and concluding that it wasn't a fair race, the election will be long forgotten."

Diplomatic sources have confirmed to CNN that this is not just the fear of a columnist, but there are very real concerns that Maduro will, whatever the EU's intentions, be able to spin this to legitimize his grip on power.

Why would the EU be willing to do this and risk the ire of its most important ally?

First, Brussels sources refute the idea that this will give the elections a de-facto EU stamp of approval. They say that their agreement rests on the fact that the Venezuelan National Electoral Council invited a delegation. Brussels then sent a mission to see if elections could be monitored "along the 2005 UN guidelines," an EU official said, pointing out that the bloc had not recognized elections held in the country last year. "We go there not to legitimize the regime, but to see what is happening."

Guaidó remains in Caracas but his efforts to assume interim power have run aground.


Second, the official says that "there is no difference in how we monitor Iraq, Peru, Pakistan or Mali. This is one of the most recognized election monitors in the world and if our partners ask us, we will explain our logic. We don't have to justify ourselves to anyone."

It is certainly true that electoral monitoring groups frequently operate in and report on polls that are far from free or fair. For example, in 2017, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, a highly respected organization, delivered a scathing report on the Turkish independence referendum.

However, critics might argue that the context here is different. Turkey is a NATO ally whose democratic standards had been sliding for years. This was a documentation of that decline -- which enraged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

What's different is Venezuela's comparative isolation from the West. It is arguable that even if the EU returns a highly critical report, its mere engagement in the process could be used as propaganda by Maduro.

A State Department spokesperson said to CNN that the US "considers free and fair local, National Assembly, and presidential elections essential for Venezuelans to reach a peaceful and democratic solution to the crises their country faces. In statements made jointly with the United States on June 25 and August 14, the European Union and Canada made clear they share our views ... For further questions about the EU's planned election observation mission, we refer you to EU officials."

These sort of tensions between the Brussels and Washington are to some extent inevitable as the EU tries to grow its influence as a distinct global power and defender of Western values, rather than an extension of US influence.

However, the bloc must remember that each time it diverges from American policy -- be it on China, Russia or Venezuela -- it will be noticed by the leadership of the nation that still towers above all else on the world stage.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×