Antigua and Barbuda votes in favour of resolution on Venezuela electoral transparency but CARICOM divided

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries’ divided stance on their relationship with Venezuela has been highlighted by the failure of a resolution calling for electoral transparency in Venezuela’s recent presidential elections.

Several Latin and North American countries requested the resolution, which was presented at a special meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) Permanent Council.

The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia joined Antigua and Barbuda in abstaining from the vote. Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, and Suriname supported the draft resolution.

Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago were absent from the session. Sir Ronald noted that post-vote, many representatives felt that “the Permanent Council had failed democracy”.

Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s OAS representative and chair of the special Council meeting, stated that member states couldn’t agree on the resolution’s full text due to disagreements over “one sentence in one paragraph in the entire resolution”.

Without specifying the contentious paragraph, Sir Ronald described the outcome as “a matter of great regret” but encouraged the Council not to be discouraged.

He elaborated: “We were within a hare’s whisker of a consensus resolution on Venezuela; we did not get there because of people’s inflexibility on one point.

“That one point in the Chair’s view is not worth the resolution we lost, nonetheless it was a position taken up by certain countries because of their passion, because of their strong feelings—feelings that they could not overcome in order to achieve a broader objective.”

The contentious July 28 presidential elections, which saw President Nicolas Maduro secure a third six-year term, have sparked widespread protests in Venezuela. Demonstrators allege fraudulent election practices, echoing concerns raised by various organizations about the lack of transparency in the announced results.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries’ divided stance on their relationship with Venezuela has been highlighted by the failure of a resolution calling for electoral transparency in Venezuela’s recent presidential elections.

Several Latin and North American countries requested the resolution, which was presented at a special meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) Permanent Council.

The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia joined Antigua and Barbuda in abstaining from the vote. Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, and Suriname supported the draft resolution.

Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago were absent from the session. Sir Ronald noted that post-vote, many representatives felt that “the Permanent Council had failed democracy”.

Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s OAS representative and chair of the special Council meeting, stated that member states couldn’t agree on the resolution’s full text due to disagreements over “one sentence in one paragraph in the entire resolution”.

Without specifying the contentious paragraph, Sir Ronald described the outcome as “a matter of great regret” but encouraged the Council not to be discouraged.

He elaborated: “We were within a hare’s whisker of a consensus resolution on Venezuela; we did not get there because of people’s inflexibility on one point.

“That one point in the Chair’s view is not worth the resolution we lost, nonetheless it was a position taken up by certain countries because of their passion, because of their strong feelings—feelings that they could not overcome in order to achieve a broader objective.”

The contentious July 28 presidential elections, which saw President Nicolas Maduro secure a third six-year term, have sparked widespread protests in Venezuela.

Demonstrators allege fraudulent election practices, echoing concerns raised by various organizations about the lack of transparency in the announced results.