Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Cruz Lead Colleagues in Introducing Bipartisan Resolution Supporting Free and Fair Elections in Venezuela

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a bipartisan resolution reaffirming America's support for free and fair elections in Venezuela. The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

"A credible democratic transition is only attainable when the Venezuelan people are free to decide Venezuela's future, yet the Delcy Rodríguez regime has failed to take meaningful actions toward holding elections and restoring democratic order," said Ranking Member Shaheen. "As international bodies have affirmed time and again, the regime has not taken serious steps to dismantle the Maduro-Rodriguez repressive apparatus that has long terrorized the Venezuelan people. I'm proud to lead this bipartisan resolution with my colleagues restating the United States' demand for concrete progress toward elections in Venezuela. The authorities in Caracas must immediately and unconditionally release all remaining political prisoners and guarantee that all political actors, including María Corina Machado, can safely return and freely participate in political activity. Every day that passes without progress toward these key objectives represents a step back for the Venezuelan people and their broader struggle for a free, safe and democratic future."

"The people of Venezuela deserve free, fair, and transparent elections, and it is vital to the national security interests of the United States that those elections occur expeditiously," said Senator Cruz. "A legitimately elected government would create the foundation for freedom and prosperity in Venezuela and establish the basis for a deep and long-term partnership with the United States, including security, counternarcotics, and economic cooperation. This resolution reiterates that such elections require the release of all political prisoners, while any serious harm suffered by any individual seeking public office, including María Corina Machado, would delegitimize those elections and that the U.S. will presume that the Venezuelan government was complicit in that harm. The United States stands with the Venezuelan people and their right to determine their own future."

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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