Brazilian social movements and organizations penned a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asking the government to recognize Nicolás Maduro’s victory in Venezuela and respect its sovereignty.

The letter, published December 26, states that a change in the Lula government’s stance “strengthens the bonds of friendship and cooperation that historically unite our two nations.”

In July, the Venezuelan election concluded with President Maduro receiving 52% of the vote, data confirmed by both the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice. The opposition, led by Edmundo González Urrutia, from the far-right coalition Plataforma Unitária, did not recognize the results and cried fraud without presenting evidence to the Venezuelan electoral court. At the time, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated the “peaceful nature” of the presidential elections, without, however, recognizing Maduro’s reelection, and stated that it was following the process of counting the electoral records “closely”. President Lula himself initially said that he still did not recognize the victory. However, in November, the Brazilian leader stated that “Maduro is Venezuela’s problem, not Brazil’s” while defending the sovereignty of each country.

On January 10, Nicolás Maduro will be inaugurated for a new term in Venezuela. Countries including Mexico and Colombia have announced that they will send official representation to the event. Brasilia, however, has not yet confirmed its presence.

Read the letter in full:

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL, COMRADE LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA.

C.C.: COMRADE CELSO AMORIM, CHIEF ADVISOR OF THE SPECIAL ADVISORY OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC.

Dear fellow President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, With the most respectful and cordial greetings, we address Your Excellency to address an issue of extreme relevance to the international relations of our country and, in particular, to the stability and harmony in Latin America.

We would like to highlight the importance of maintaining good neighborly relations between our country and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, based on mutual respect, cooperation and understanding of the internal complexities of each nation. The principles of sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, enshrined in the Federal Constitution of 1988 and the Charter of the United Nations, guide our independent foreign policy, an important achievement of our nation, under your leadership.

In this context, we respectfully request that the Brazilian government recognize the legitimacy of the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro, which occurred in accordance with Venezuela’s internal processes. The opposition candidate himself, Edmundo González, recognized the results and Venezuelan institutionality by complying with the decision of the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, arguing that he accepts the decision “because it is a resolution of the highest court of the Republic”, as stated in the letter signed by Mr. González that went public on September 18.

The recognition of this election not only reaffirms our commitment to respect for Venezuelan sovereignty, but also strengthens the bonds of friendship and cooperation that historically unite our two nations.

The Brazilian foreign policy of his government, haughty and active, has as one of its most important axes Regional Integration in our region, as one of the essential conditions for a more sovereign insertion in the world context, according to the Brasilia Consensus document, approved by the South American countries on the initiative of their government in May 2023.

In this sense, we applaud the many initiatives of your government and statements by the Presidency to have understanding and empathy for the needs of our neighbors, such as offering Uruguay the possibility of building a possible Mercosur-China agreement to replace the Uruguay-China agreement, whose negotiations were advancing in January 2023. Or the empathetic and dialogue posture regarding the renewal of the Itaipu Binacional Agreement with the government of Paraguay.

In our opinion, diplomatic relations, of openness to dialogue, sincere, empathetic and direct with the government of Venezuela, especially in this critical post-electoral moment, as well as with other countries in our region, is essential to build Regional Integration in a more structural, institutional and permanent way.

In addition, it is necessary to consider the risks that the rise of extremist movements in Venezuela represents for the entire region. The most recent seizure by the Venezuelan authorities, of 400 rifles for the exclusive use of the United States and 6 people, shows the anti-democratic and terrorist character of some sectors of the Venezuelan opposition and the United States. Among these people are Venezuelans recruited by the Spanish National Intelligence Center and an active soldier of the United States Navy, Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gómez.

The Venezuelan extreme right and its allies outside the country promote a polarizing and destabilizing agenda, threatening not only the country’s internal peace, but also the stability of all of Latin America. This situation may have negative repercussions in our own country, generating tensions that could be avoided through an action of Brazil based on dialogue and respect for the legitimate choices of the Venezuelan people.

By recognizing the reelection of Nicolás Maduro, Brazil not only reaffirms its commitment to the principles of sovereignty and self-determination, but also sends a clear message of support for peace and regional stability, promoting the strengthening of Latin American integration at a time of great global challenges.

Thanking Your Excellency’s attention, we reaffirm our commitment to democracy, social progress, Brazilian sovereignty and regional integration.

Brasilia, December 26, 2024

Popular organizations that sign this letter:

1. Afronte – Movimento Nacional de Juventude
2. Associação Brasileira de Imprensa (ABI), Comissão de Relações Internacionais
3. Associação Brasileira de Juristas pela Democracia, ABJD
4. Centro Brasileiro de Solidariedade Aos Povos e Luta Pela Paz, CEBRAPAZ
5. Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil, CTB
6. Confederação Nacional das Associações de Moradores, CONAM
7. Federação Árabe Palestina do Brasil, FEPAL
8. Instituto Brasil Palestina, IBRASPAL
9. Levante Popular da Juventude
10. Marcha Mundial das Mulheres, MMM
11. Movimento Brasil Popular, MBP
12. Movimento de Trabalhadoras e Trabalhadores por Direitos, MTD
13. Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, MST
14. Movimento pela Soberania Popular na Mineração, MAM
15. União Brasileira de Mulheres, UBM
16. União Brasileira dos Estudantes Secundaristas, UBES
17. União da Juventude Socialista, UJS
18. União de Negros pela Igualdade, UNEGRO
19. União Nacional LGBT, UNALGBT

This article has been translated from Portuguese by Kawsachun News. Read it in its original Portugese here.