TRINIDAD- Rowley issues warning to outsiders who attempt to interfere in the election outcome in Venezuela

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has weighed in on the recent election in Venezuela, saying that “outsiders” who attempt to change the government of the South American nation forcibly are only asking for trouble.

“When the United States, Canada, and the European Union decided to change the Government in Venezuela by force, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Mexico, and Uruguay all objected because a bad situation was about to worsen.

As we believe now, any attempt to change the government of Venezuela by outsiders forcibly is asking for trouble, yet unknown” said Rowley, who was speaking during a meeting of the ruling People’s National (PNM) late Friday.

He noted that his administration was happy that Venezuela had recent elections but warned that some have an agenda.

“We were happy that elections were held in Venezuela, as we have a functioning embassy there and receive reports on the situation there. We must be careful not to take advice from people whose agendas and interests differ from Trinidad and Tobago’s.”

Concerning the poll’s outcome, Rowley said: “We are still listening. We have no barometer. Separate from the government’s institution, we maintain our position until there is a reason to change it. We are interested in what is going on in Venezuela.

Whatever role we have, we will play in the context of our understanding of and confirmation of the rules and regulations governing people’s internal elections. We in Trinidad and Tobago had an election; what did the opposition do? They went to court and said they wanted five seats canceled because the election was improperly held. Of course, they lost. So, if there are challenges to the election in Venezuela, we will observe the facts as they surface,” he said

On July 29, a day after the Venezuelans went to the polls, the electoral authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro the presidential election winner while the opposition claimed victory in the race, setting up a showdown.

After electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner, opposition candidate Edmundo González said all rules were violated.

González, a former diplomat who had never run for public office, questioned the legitimacy of the National Electoral Council (CNE), which the opposition sees as favoring the ruling party.

Since then, protestors have taken to the streets demanding that Maduro acknowledge that he lost Sunday’s election to the opposition, as a significant international observer concluded the vote was undemocratic.

The U.S.-based Carter Center observed the vote and said that the election “did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”

The electoral authority’s failure to publish disaggregated results amounts to a “serious breach,” it added, outlining what it determined to be a deeply flawed process from start to finish.

Many countries have called on Venezuela to make the vote tally public, and U.S. sources said Washington was considering fresh sanctions on individuals linked to the election unless there was greater transparency.