The president of Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said he hoped that the opposition would run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for next year
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2019) The president of Venezuelan National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, said he hoped that the opposition would run in the parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.On Thursday, Cabello arrived in Russia to meet with the chairman of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, and discuss bilateral relations.
"Next year, there will be elections in Venezuela. These elections should be held in compliance with our constitution and decisions of the parliament and the National Assembly. We hope that Venezuela's opposition will be interested and eventually take part in these elections," Cabello said during the meeting.
He also added that a certain part of the opposition supported the idea of the upcoming elections and was ready for intra-Venezuelan dialogue. At the same time, he stressed that the pro-US opposition lawmakers had not made a decision yet.
Despite the split, Cabello mentioned the progress in the dialogue with some opposition lawmakers. He said that the sides had reached certain agreements and started to discuss new potential candidates for the National Electoral Council.
Volodin, for his part, denounced sanctions against Venezuela imposed by a number of countries and interference in the country's internal affairs.
"We condemn unilateral sanctions against Venezuela and believe that they are inappropriate. We condemn interference in Venezuela's sovereign affairs and hope that other countries will back our position as such actions lead to nothing, but a crisis," the politician said at the meeting.
Cabello praised Russian-Venezuelan ties and encouraged to deepen relations between parliaments. He also invited Volodin to visit Venezuela.
Volodin accepted the invitation and stressed the importance of developing inter-parliamentary cooperation between the nations.
In January, the inauguration of re-elected President Nicolas Maduro triggered mass protests in Venezuela. Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly illegally declared himself interim president. A number of Western countries led by the US recognized Guaido, while Russia, China, Turkey and a number of other states firmly backed Maduro.
