:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FWHWSEFBYFADZI3D5ACNCOV4EQ.jpg "Uruguay was the only country that condemned the political bans of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela at the Celac summit")
The Vice Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Nicolás Albertoni, condemned the Venezuelan dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro for the banning of María Corina Machado from competing in the 2024 presidential elections. This statement was made during the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Albertoni criticized previous CELAC summits for their lack of tangible results but emphasized the importance of discussing democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. He pointed out that not all countries in the region are fully committed to these values and expressed concerns about limitations on freedom, electoral competition, and transparency in some nations.
The Uruguayan official called on the Venezuelan government to return to democratic principles and cited President Luis Lacalle Pou’s stance against such violations. He specifically mentioned the disqualification of María Corina Machado, the arrest of activist Rocío San Miguel, and the expulsion of a representative from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as unacceptable actions.
Albertoni stressed the importance of free and fair elections for democracy and urged a strong rejection of undemocratic practices. The summit, attended by left-wing leaders like Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, aims to promote regional integration and cooperation.
The VIII CELAC summit in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines highlights the ideological divide in the region, with only left-wing leaders in attendance. The event seeks to address challenges and promote collaboration among the 33 member countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region.