III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 414 

Condemning the continued undemocratic measures by the Government of 

Venezuela to undermine the independence of democratic institutions and 

calling for a free and fair electoral process. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2018 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

Mr. LEAHY, Mr. NELSON, Mr. BENNET, Mr. COONS, Mr. REED, Mr. 

KAINE, and Mr. SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the continued undemocratic measures by the 

Government of Venezuela to undermine the independence 

of democratic institutions and calling for a free and 

fair electoral process. 

Whereas Venezuelan President Nicola ́s Maduro continues to 

take measures to consolidate an authoritarian government and undermine the independence of democratic institutions in the country; 

Whereas the Government of Peru, as host of the upcoming 

Summit of the Americas, has indicated that President 

Nicola ́s Maduro is not welcome to attend because of his 

failure to uphold the region’s shared commitment to 


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•SRES 414 IS 

strengthening democracy and improving citizens’ wellbeing; 

Whereas Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) unilaterally called for a presidential election on April 22, 

2018, despite the absence of an agreement between the 

Government of Venezuela and the political opposition on 

the conditions necessary for the electoral process; 

Whereas, on February 13, 2018, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, 

Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia, rejected the decision of the Government of Venezuela to hold elections on 

April 22; 

Whereas these 14 Foreign Ministers stated that elections 

would not be considered legitimate if the elections do 

not— 

(1) permit the participation of all Venezuelan citizens and political parties; 

(2) include observation by credible international organizations; and 

(3) meet recognized international standards; 

Whereas despite these denunciations, on February 21, 2018, 

President Maduro stated that he wanted to hold elections 

for the National Assembly, state legislative councils, and 

municipal councils in conjunction with the presidential 

election scheduled for April 22; 

Whereas, in January 2018, Venezuelan authorities banned 

the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), the principal 

coalition of opposition parties, and leading opposition political parties Voluntad Popular and Primero Justicia, 

from participating in the presidential election; 


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•SRES 414 IS 

Whereas Venezuela’s December 2017 municipal elections and 

October 2017 gubernatorial elections failed to meet recognized international standards; 

Whereas, in July 2017, Venezuela held fraudulent elections 

to install a National Constituent Assembly, a parallel legislature that undemocratically usurped the constitutional 

authorities vested in the country’s democratically elected 

National Assembly; 

Whereas Smartmatic, the company that manufactured the 

electronic voting technology, confirmed that— 

(1) the result of the July 2017 National Constituent 

Assembly election was manipulated; and 

(2) a change of more than 1,000,000 votes occurred 

in the final tabulation; 

Whereas a global coalition of more than 40 countries have rejected the installation of Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly and refused to recognize it as a legitimate institution; 

Whereas the collapse of democratic governance and the proliferation of political corruption, criminal violence, failed 

economic policies, and hyperinflation have created a devastating humanitarian crisis in Venezuela; 

Whereas the majority of Venezuela’s citizens lack access to 

essential medicines and basic food supplies; 

Whereas the precarious humanitarian conditions in Venezuela 

have prompted hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan citizens to emigrate, which is fueling a migration and refugee crisis in neighboring countries; 

Whereas, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal 

Court has stated that the Office of the Prosecutor will 

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•SRES 414 IS 

ernment’s use of torture and excessive force against demonstrators and the arbitrary detention of thousands of 

anti-government protesters; and 

Whereas, despite the presence of international mediators, the 

Government of Venezuela failed to credibly participate in 

negotiations with the country’s political opposition in 

order to reach an agreement that would— 

(1) restore democracy; 

(2) free political prisoners; 

(3) facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid; and 

(4) establish conditions for legitimate democratic 

elections: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on the Government of Venezuela to 

3 postpone the presidential election and any concur4 rent National Assembly, state legislative council, or 

5 municipal council elections scheduled for April 22, 

6 2018, until— 

7 (A) international and local election observ8 ers from credible organizations are allowed to 

9 observe the electoral process, including the pre10 election period, and determine a legitimate 

11 process; 

12 (B) the National Electoral Council is led 

13 and staffed by nonpartisan members that have 

14 the confidence of contesting parties; 

15 (C) opposition parties and candidates are 

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•SRES 414 IS 

1 out threat of arrest, harassment, or retribution, 

2 including access to government controlled 

3 media; 

4 (D) arrangements are made for all Ven5 ezuelan voters, including those residing outside 

6 of Venezuela, to be able to participate in the 

7 election; and 

8 (E) there is no implied or direct link be9 tween an individual’s vote and the government 

10 food rations to which the individual is eligible 

11 and no record is retained of a voter’s choice for 

12 any reason related to government benefits, in13 cluding retaliation; 

14 (2) denounces as illegitimate any presidential 

15 election in Venezuela that fails to meet the stand16 ards described in paragraph (1); 

17 (3) condemns the steps taken by President 

18 Maduro— 

19 (A) to consolidate an authoritarian govern20 ment in Venezuela; and 

21 (B) to undermine the independence of 

22 democratic institutions such as the National As23 sembly of Venezuela, the Supreme Tribunal of 

24 Justice of Venezuela, and the National Elec25 toral Council of Venezuela; 


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•SRES 414 IS 

1 (4) rejects the Venezuelan Government’s efforts 

2 to blame the country’s economic, humanitarian, and 

3 political crisis on other actors instead of recognizing 

4 that the crisis was caused by its own malfeasance 

5 and criminality; 

6 (5) urges the Government of Venezuela— 

7 (A) to permit the unobstructed delivery of 

8 humanitarian assistance to the people of Ven9 ezuela; and 

10 (B) to stop using food as a tool of political 

11 coercion; 

12 (6) condemns the Government of Venezuela for 

13 failing to credibly participate in internationally me14 diated negotiations— 

15 (A) to restore democracy; 

16 (B) to free political prisoners; and 

17 (C) to permit the delivery of humanitarian 

18 assistance; 

19 (7) supports the decision of the Government of 

20 Peru, as host of the Eighth Summit of the Amer21 icas, to not invite President Maduro; and 

22 (8) supports the efforts of the Office of the 

23 Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to 

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•SRES 414 IS 

1 ture, excessive force, and arbitrary detentions 

2 against Venezuelan citizens. 

Æ 


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