Title: A resolution denouncing the Maduro regime's efforts to hold fraudulent legislative elections, the absence of acceptable conditions to ensure free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela, and the further erosion of Venezuelan democracy.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution denounces efforts by the Nicolás Maduro regime to hold fraudulent legislative elections and joins members of the international community in rejecting the regime's efforts to carry out those elections. Further, it urges that elections in Venezuela be conducted as soon as possible according to international standards for free, fair, and transparent electoral processes.
Additionally, the resolution calls on the Maduro regime to cease its persecution of Venezuala's independent political parties and release all political prisoners, and it calls for Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his regime to be held accountable for their actions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 749 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 749

 Denouncing the Maduro regime's efforts to hold fraudulent legislative 
 elections, the absence of acceptable conditions to ensure free, fair, 
   and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela, and the further 
                    erosion of Venezuelan democracy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             October 20 (legislative day, October 19), 2020

 Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Scott 
    of Florida, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Kaine) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Denouncing the Maduro regime's efforts to hold fraudulent legislative 
 elections, the absence of acceptable conditions to ensure free, fair, 
   and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela, and the further 
                    erosion of Venezuelan democracy.

Whereas the regime of Nicolas Maduro is undertaking efforts to hold fraudulent 
        legislative elections for Venezuela's National Assembly in December 2020 
        that will not comply with international standards for free, fair, and 
        transparent electoral processes;
Whereas the Maduro regime is seeking to use fraudulent legislative elections to 
        undermine Venezuela's sitting democratically elected National Assembly;
Whereas, as codified under section 112 of the VERDAD Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 
        9702), it is the policy of the United States to recognize the 
        democratically elected National Assembly of Venezuela, elected in 
        December 2015 and sworn in on January 2016, as the only legitimate 
        national legislative body in Venezuela;
Whereas the United States Government and members of the international community 
        have rightly denounced the Maduro regime's efforts to hold fraudulent 
        legislative elections in December 2020;
Whereas, on October 13, 2020, members of the Lima Group--including Bolivia, 
        Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, 
        Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela--issued a joint declaration on the 
        Maduro regime's efforts to hold legislative elections in December 2020 
        that expressed ``firm rejection of the continuing of the illegitimate 
        regime of Nicolas Maduro in holding parliamentary elections without the 
        minimum democratic guarantees and without the participation of all 
        political forces'';
Whereas, on September 17, 2020, the International Contact Group on Venezuela--
        whose members include Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the European 
        Union, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Spain, 
        Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay--issued a joint declaration on 
        the Maduro regime's efforts to hold legislative elections in December 
        2020 that stated that ``conditions are not met, at the moment, for a 
        transparent, inclusive, free and fair electoral process'';
Whereas, on June 12, 2020, the Maduro regime's illegitimate Supreme Court 
        unilaterally appointed new members to Venezuela's National Electoral 
        Council without the approval of the democratically elected National 
        Assembly;
Whereas, throughout 2020, the Maduro regime--

    (1) sought to co-opt and undermine independent political parties 
through a campaign of systematic persecution; and

    (2) used its discredited Supreme Court to strip independent political 
parties of their leadership, including Voluntad Popular, Primero Justicia, 
and Accion Democratica;

Whereas the Maduro regime has a demonstrated track record of holding fraudulent 
        elections over the last four years;
Whereas, on July 30, 2017, the Maduro regime manipulated the results for 
        Venezuela's Constituent Assembly by more than 1,000,000 votes, according 
        to Smartmatic, the company that supplied Venezuela's electronic voting 
        machines;
Whereas, in May 2018, the Maduro regime held fraudulent presidential elections 
        that were broadly criticized as illegitimate, leading more than 50 
        countries to recognize the end of Nicolas Maduro's term in office and 
        the inauguration of National Assembly President Juan Guaido as Interim-
        President of Venezuela on January 23, 2019;
Whereas, according to the Venezuelan constitution, Juan Guaido, as President of 
        the National Assembly, serves as Venezuela's Interim President in the 
        absence of democratically elected president of Venezuela;
Whereas the conditions do not currently exist for the free, fair, and 
        transparent election of new members of the National Assembly or the 
        president of Venezuela;
Whereas, as of September 7, 2020, the internationally recognized nongovernmental 
        organization Foro Penal confirmed that, out of the 110 individuals 
        recently released from prison by the Maduro regime to serve out the 
        remainder of their sentences under house arrest, 53 were political 
        prisoners, and that currently 363 political prisoners remain unjustly 
        detained by the dictatorship without due process;
Whereas, on September 16, 2020, the United Nations Independent International 
        Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela found that 
        Nicolas Maduro and senior members of his regime ordered and carried out 
        a campaign of extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, torture, 
        and arbitrary detentions that amounted to systemic crimes against 
        humanity;
Whereas the Maduro regime's efforts to hold fraudulent legislative elections, 
        undermine the democratically elected National Assembly and independent 
        political parties, and implement a campaign of state-sponsored violence 
        and repression further erodes democracy and the rule of law in 
        Venezuela; and
Whereas, as codified under section 4 of the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights 
        and Civil Society Act (Public Law 113-278; 128 U.S.C. 3013), it is the 
        policy of the United States ``to support the people of Venezuela in 
        their aspiration to live under conditions of peace and representative 
        democracy as defined by the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the 
        Organization of American States'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) denounces efforts by the Maduro regime to hold 
        fraudulent legislative elections in an effort to undermine 
        Venezuela's democratically elected National Assembly;
            (2) joins members of the international community, including 
        members of the Lima Group, in rightfully rejecting the Maduro's 
        regime efforts to carry out fraudulent legislative elections;
            (3) urges that presidential and legislative elections in 
        Venezuela be conducted at the earliest possible date according 
        to international standards for free, fair, and transparent 
        electoral processes, including credible international election 
        observation;
            (4) calls on the Maduro regime to cease its campaign of 
        systematic persecution against Venezuela's independent 
        political parties and their leadership;
            (5) calls on the Maduro regime to immediately release all 
        political prisoners, facilitate access by humanitarian 
        organizations, and end its campaign of extrajudicial 
        executions, forced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary 
        detentions of political opponents, human rights defenders, 
        civil society activists, peaceful protesters, and citizens; and
            (6) takes note of the finding of the United Nations 
        Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the 
        Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that the Maduro regime's 
        campaign of state-sponsored violence and repression against the 
        people of Venezuela amounted to crimes against humanity, and 
        calls for Nicolas Maduro and senior members of his regime to be 
        held accountable for their actions.
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