Turkey… “observer delegation” in the local elections in Venezuela

A Turkish delegation will participate as an “observer” in the local elections taking place in Venezuela on Sunday.

The Turkish delegation includes a number of bureaucrats, in addition to parliamentarian Serkan Bayram, head of the parliamentary friendship group between Turkey and Venezuela.

After a break that lasted for 4 years, the opposition parties participated in the elections taking place today, where voters are casting their votes to choose the heads of 335 municipalities.

In addition to Turkey, a delegation from the European Union and a number of other countries is participating in the elections as an observer.

Last September, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido announced that he would participate in the elections.

Venezuela has been in tension since January 23, 2019, after Juan Guaido declared his “entitlement” to temporarily assume the presidency until new elections are held.

US President Donald Trump quickly recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president, followed by Canada and countries from Latin America and Europe.

On the other hand, countries including Russia, Turkey, Mexico and Bolivia supported the legitimacy of President Maduro, who on January 10, 2019, was sworn in as president for a new term of 6 years.

The United States has tightened sanctions against the Maduro government, which has put enormous pressure on it.