Colombia and Brazil withdraw from electoral observation of Venezuela at the last minute and will no longer send delegations

Throughout Wednesday afternoon, July 24, the governments of Colombia and Brazil made the official decision not to send their delegations as observers of the presidential elections this Sunday, July 28 in Venezuela.

Both Petro's and Lula's governments had planned to be present this Sunday in Caracas. However, they decided to cancel their missions at the last minute. In Colombia's case, which was a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo himself, the alleged reason was that Murillo's agenda was very tight, according to published by the Colombian media Semana.

In Brazil's case, it was the Superior Electoral Tribunal that announced it would no longer send observers to Caracas. Just last week the Court accepted the invitation made by the Chavista justice to be present at the elections. Now the former Chancellor and advisor to Lula's government, Celso Amorin, who was set to lead the mission, will not travel.

Unlike Colombia, with Brazil there was a controversy. After Maduro threatened there would be a "bloodbath" at a rally if he loses the July 28 elections, President Lula reacted and said that his words "scare him." 

"Whoever loses gets bathed in votes, not blood. Maduro has to learn that when you win you stay, and when you lose you leave," Lula said this Monday, July 22.

The next day, Maduro attacked the Brazilian electoral system: "In Brazil, not a single ballot paper is verified. In Brazil? They don't audit a single ballot paper!"

Because of the attack, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court decided to suspend the mission.

"In view of the false statements against the Brazilian electronic voting ballot boxes that, contrary to what the Venezuelan authorities claim are auditable and secure, the Superior Electoral Court will not send experts," reads a statement.

With the absence of Brazil and Colombia, the Venezuelan elections can no longer count on the observation of those who until recently were the two most important allies of Nicolás Maduro's regime. The tensions show a crack in relations, but also leave the elections less protected, which there are already serious doubts about and whose eve has been characterized by violence, threats and repression by the Chavista tyranny.

In addition to Brazil and Colombia, another ally who will not attend and announced it on Wednesday was the former Argentine president, Alberto Fernandez. After being invited, Fernandez made comments that made the regime uncomfortable.

In a radio interview, Fernandez said that "if he is defeated, Maduro has to accept it. As Lula said: 'He who wins, wins and he who loses, loses.' Period. That's democracy."

Because of those comments, the Chavista regime decided to uninvite the former president, who was also considered an important ally of Nicolás Maduro.