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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 213 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 213

Expressing support for the free and peaceful exercise of representative 
democracy in Venezuela and condemning violence and intimidation against 
                  the country's political opposition.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2013

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Udall 
   of New Mexico, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Kirk) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing support for the free and peaceful exercise of representative 
democracy in Venezuela and condemning violence and intimidation against 
                  the country's political opposition.

Whereas the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela declared Nicolas 
        Maduro to be the winner of Venezuela's April 14, 2013, presidential 
        election, after crediting him with receiving 50.6 percent of votes cast;
Whereas Venezuela's political opposition has highlighted widespread incidents of 
        potential electoral irregularities, voter intimidation, and other abuses 
        perpetrated by the Government of Venezuela in favor of the candidacy of 
        Nicolas Maduro;
Whereas the Organization of American States and other multilateral institutions 
        called for a full recount and audit that addresses all claims by 
        participants in the electoral process in Venezuela;
Whereas the Senate of the Republic of Chile, the Christian Democratic 
        Organization of the Americas, the Socialist International, the Union of 
        Latin American parties, and other political organizations in the region 
        have issued declarations recognizing the alleged irregularities 
        documented by the opposition in Venezuela and urged a complete audit of 
        the election results;
Whereas the CNE has denied the political opposition's request for a full and 
        comprehensive audit of the election results that includes the review and 
        comparison of voter registry log books, vote tallies produced by 
        electronic voting machines, and the paper receipts printed by electronic 
        voting machines;
Whereas the Preamble of the Charter of the Organization of American States 
        affirms that ``representative democracy is an indispensable condition 
        for the stability, peace and development of the region,'' and Article 1 
        of the Inter-American Democratic Charter recognizes that ``the people of 
        the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an 
        obligation to promote and defend it'';
Whereas the republican form of government prescribed in the Constitution of the 
        Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has its legislative branch in the 
        National Assembly, where the free participation and deliberation of its 
        democratically elected representatives is essential to legislate and 
        check the powers of the executive branch;
Whereas the President of the National Assembly denied opposition parties the 
        right to speak in the legislature from April 16 to May 21, 2013, and 
        removed them from key committees in response to their refusal to 
        recognize Nicolas Maduro as president;
Whereas members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) 
        violently assaulted opposition legislators on April 16 and April 30, 
        2013, in the National Assembly, causing lacerations, broken bones, and 
        other injuries to members of the political opposition;
Whereas the Department of State responded to the violence against opposition 
        legislators in Venezuela by declaring that ``violence has no place in a 
        representative and democratic system, and is particularly inappropriate 
        in the National Assembly'';
Whereas the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) has 
        repudiated the incident by stating that it ``reflects, in a dramatic 
        manner, the absence of a political dialogue that can bring tranquility 
        to the citizens and to the members of the different public powers to 
        resolve in a peaceful climate and with everybody's participation the 
        pending matters of the country'';
Whereas the Congress of the Republic of Peru passed a resolution rejecting the 
        use of violence against opposition parties in the Venezuelan National 
        Assembly and expressing solidarity with those injured by the events of 
        April 2013; and
Whereas, as a member of the Organization of American States and signatory to the 
        Inter-American Democratic Charter, the Bolivarian Government of 
        Venezuela has agreed to abide by the principles of constitutional, 
        representative democracy, which include free and fair elections and 
        adherence to its own constitution: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the people of Venezuela in their pursuit of 
        the free exercise of representative democracy in Venezuela;
            (2) calls for greater dialogue between all political actors 
        in Venezuela and strongly deplores the undemocratic denial of 
        legitimate parliamentary rights to members of opposition 
        parties in the National Assembly and the inexcusable violence 
        perpetrated against opposition legislators inside the 
        legislative chambers of Venezuela;
            (3) commends legislators from other nations in the Americas 
        who have declared their opposition to political irregularities 
        and the use of violence against opposition parliamentarians in 
        Venezuela;
            (4) urges the Organization of American States to issue a 
        detailed report on any and all irregularities resulting from 
        the April 14, 2013, presidential election in Venezuela;
            (5) urges the United States Ambassador to the Organization 
        of American States to work in concert with other member states 
        to use the full power of the organization in support of 
        meaningful steps to ensure full parliamentary democracy and the 
        rule of law in Venezuela in accordance with the Inter-American 
        Democratic Charter, including invoking articles related to 
        unconstitutional interruptions of the democratic order in a 
        member state; and
            (6) urges the United States Ambassador to the Organization 
        of American States to work in concert with other member states 
        to strengthen the ability of the Organization to protect 
        democratic institutions and to respond to the erosion of 
        democracy in member states.
                                 <all>
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