Lula has taken flak for not taking a stronger stance against the Maduro regime in Venezuela. But Brazil’s interests lie in maintaining relations with Caracas
On July 28, Venezuelans went to the polls in one of the most closely-watched elections of the year. The outcome, though, was predictable, despite many hoping for a different result.
The voting process itself was largely uneventful, and the Brazilian government swiftly recognized the “peaceful ecosystem of [the] election” in a statement the following day. However, the aftermath of the election in Venezuela was marked by the regime’s heavy-handed tactics, which have helped keep President Nicolás Maduro in power for over a decade.
Despite several pollsters before, during, and after the vote suggesting an opposition victory, Mr. Maduro declared himself the winner and refused to release the raw electoral data. While Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party — traditionally divided on how to handle Venezuela — officially recognized Mr. Maduro’s claim, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva himself took a more cautious approach. On August 16, Lula publicly disagreed with his party’s endorsement of Mr. Maduro’s victory.
Celso Amorim, Lula’s most trusted foreign policy advisor, was In Caracas during the election. Critics expected him to rubber-stamp whatever results Mr. Maduro chose to present to the world, but his stance was more nuanced.