Belize to Continue Abstaining in OAS Vote on Venezuela Election Data Release

Belize will continue to abstain from voting in the Organization of American States’ efforts to force the Venezuelan government to release data from the recent election. Since the controversial elections, there have been calls from various international agencies for the results to be released. The country’s President Nikolas Maduro is believed to have lost and intentionally is keeping the election data from being scrutinized. The OAS had moved to table a resolution in hopes of forcing Maduro’s hand and several members supported it, but Belize chose to abstain. And, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca, the country will continue to abstain when a second round of voting is called.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “There’s discussion about another resolution being tabled sometime this week. You know Belize’s position has been consistently been to abstain on these resolution. Venezuela is not a member of the OAS, they withdrew from the OAS in 2019 so the view of CARICOM and we generally try to support a CARICOM position on these matters. The view of CARICOM is that the OAS really does not have jurisdiction over Venezuela. So you know we abstain on these matters. There is no clear consensus in CARICOM on this matter. A few countries are supporting these resolutions. The great majority of countries I think the last time around three countries supported and I think eight countries abstained and one or two countries didn’t participate at all in the votes they didn’t show up. So I think that’s where we are. I can report to you that we discussed the matter in Cabinet yesterday and the Cabinet’s position is that Belize should abstain on any proposed resolution that is tabled this week in the OAS.”

Reporter: Are you aware if SICA has maybe been discussing this issue as well too ?

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “Not yet. SICA has not discussed it. SICA is in a very difficult situation right now so we’ve not been having regular meetings for some time. There is a move now to try to change that but you know again there has been no specific discussion on this matter.”

Fonseca also responded to the opposition’s condemnation of Belize’s decision to abstain. The UDP had issued a release calling for the government to support the OAS, but Fonseca says he isn’t even sure who the UDP comprises at this point.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “It’s difficult to even comment on UDP positions because I don’t know where they’re coming from. There seems to be no party, party structure so basically it seems that you have the Leader of the Opposition sitting down and writing these releases when I know for a fact because I’ve heard from other members of the UDP, even those who sit in parliament who say you know where ar these things coming from ? They themselves are confounded and don’t understand where these releases are coming from. So you know it’s difficult to comment on anything coming out of the UDP right now. I would say that as far as we are concerned, our government is concerned it’s critically important for Belize for our long term survivability, our long term governance that Belize continues to be consistent with a principled approach to foreign policy not a bow down to anybody. We should maintain a very firm, clear position on things that are right. When things are wrong we say so we have done that. We have said so in terms of the Ukraine War, in terms of Palestine everybody knows Belize has taken a very firm bold position. When we look back you know none of our colleagues in CARICOM followed us in terms of suspending relations with Israel so we believe that that principled, clear foreign policy has served the interest of the Belizean people. What the UDP is engaged with I have no understanding of where it’s coming from. I don’t think it’s grounded in any principles and it displays in my view a clear lack of understanding of Belize’s history and of Belize’s foreign policy which even the UDP under the former Prime Minister Dean Barrow maintained. So you know the foreign policy hasn’t changed that much. That consistency has served Belize well.”

Maduro remains in power, but attempts continue to have the opposition named as the winner of the elections.