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The National Assembly disregards and rejects as unconstitutional the regulations imposed by the illegitimate National Electoral Council, which governs the election of indigenous representatives to parliament, minimizing the right to political participation of aboriginal peoples and ethnic communities, in violation of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
This is stated in the agreement proposed by the Commission on Indigenous Peoples, approved by the legislative body during the ordinary session held this Tuesday, August 10th, online, which aims to defend the political rights established in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (CRBV), in the Organic Law on Indigenous Peoples and Communities (LOPCI), as well as in international conventions and treaties signed by the Republic.
The approved agreement calls on the indigenous peoples and communities of Venezuela, as well as their own organizations, to make known the illegality, violation and infringement of civil and political rights of the flawed regulations of the illegitimate CNE.
It also contemplates addressing a communication describing all the facts that constitute the violation of the civil and political rights of the indigenous peoples and communities of Venezuela to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, the President of the Permanent Council of the United Nations, the Commission on Human Rights, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
During the debate, the deputy for the indigenous peoples of western Venezuela, Virgilio Ferrer, described the imposition of the CNE regulations as the most atrocious act committed by Maduro’s dictatorship, which in his opinion hates indigenous peoples.
“He has not forgiven the fact that the three indigenous deputies (of the opposition) from the west, east and south of Venezuela were legitimately elected in 2015. This regulation violates the principle of representative democracy and eliminates the secret election of deputies and violates articles 62, 63, 186 and 125, which are duties and rights of indigenous peoples enshrined in our Constitution”.
Congressman Ferrer recalled that Judge Indira Alfonso is the same person who in 2015 eliminated the deputies from Amazonas, who invented the figure of contempt for the legitimate National Assembly, and now intends, as the illegitimate rector of the CNE, to eliminate the civil and political rights of the indigenous peoples and elect their representatives to parliament in community assemblies, in a second degree election in violation of the Bolivarian Constitution of Venezuela.
“I want to tell this lady that no ordinance, no providence, no organic law, is above our Magna Carta and cannot change its principles. In addition to this barbarism, she intends that only organizations partial to the regime should participate in community elections, because they are afraid of the people”.
He added that the usurper rector Indira Alfonso, like the regime, hates the indigenous people, whom they keep in constant and systematic genocide, dying of hunger, without hospitals or schools, without communication channels and expelling them from their territories.
It requested President Juan Guaidó, who leads the struggle for the indigenous peoples, to denounce this grave situation before international organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations (UN), and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, so that these violations against Venezuela’s native ethnic groups be sanctioned and their constitutional rights restored.
The indigenous deputy of the state of Apure, Javier Linares, indicated that the usurping CNE that the elimination of the right to direct and universal secret vote, leads to the political and social exclusion of the indigenous communities, that today are also displaced from their habitat by mafias and foreign guerrillas.
He said that the indigenous communities are now suffering from diseases already eradicated in the country during the democracy, such as malaria and others, under the indifferent and insensitive gaze of the regime. “In addition, the indigenous people have to confront the mafias that occupy and exploit our territory extracting its wealth and minerals. Today they are also affected by the COVID-19 virus, and it is no secret that there are no health centers or qualified medical attention.”
In the name of the indigenous representation of Apure State, Deputy Linares rejected the electoral farce or “mega-fraud” called on by Nicolás Maduro’s regime for December 6th.
Meanwhile, Delta Amacuro State Deputy Larissa González, on behalf of the Acción Democrática parliamentary faction, rejected the illegitimate CNE regulations, which are intended to regulate the parliamentary elections of indigenous representatives.
“The regime that claims to be the defender of indigenous peoples, during the past 20 years what it has done is to undermine the rights of native peoples. Our indigenous people throughout Venezuela are suffering the hardships and the attacks of the crisis caused by this regime”.
She called on communities and international organizations to turn their attention to Venezuela and to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michel Bachelet, to address the situation of flagrant violation of the rights of indigenous peoples.
“Many ethnic groups are in danger of extinction due to the crisis they are living in their communities, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is fundamental that the National Assembly be the link for the world to know the terrible situation that the native peoples are living in our country”.
Finally, the president of the Amazonian Parliament of Venezuela, deputy Romel Guzamana, stated that the regime reiterates a new “communist” order, to end the political and civil rights of indigenous peoples and communities.
He emphasized that this regulation was never consulted with the 44 indigenous peoples of Venezuela, was elaborated in record time, violating the Magna Carta, the Organic Law of Indigenous Peoples and Communities (LOPCI), the Organic Law of Electoral Processes (LOPE) and the rights of use and customs of the original ethnic groups.
“This regulation was not presented to the National Assembly as a legislative formality. The violation of human rights in the electoral process diminishes and dissociates the indigenous peoples from future elections. That is why the usurping Supreme Court cannot give the CNE the power to grant rights without consultation, which is enshrined in the National Constitution.”
He stated that the intention is to hold fictitious and rigged elections against indigenous citizens. It also eliminates a defense and human rights body such as the indigenous organizations, which are the ones that authorize elections in the communities, so that they can elect their representatives.
He assured that this measure will cause clashes between ethnic leaders, divisions and anarchy due to an improper election. “We reject that an election be held by a show of hands, that the candidates be elected by a community assembly, that it be an indirect vote and not a direct one, that it be a second degree vote, in public to disqualify the opponent, the elimination of the uninominal and qualified majority vote”.
He urged the indigenous peoples not to participate in this electoral farce, to abstain from voting and to receive any nomination from the regime. “We know that, through the regime’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, they are visiting the communities to persuade them to support this farce, which the indigenous people must reject.”
