President Luis Abinader called on Venezuelan authorities Thursday, 10 January 2025 to seize the opportunity to join the right side of history, urging them to open the door to a peaceful transition to democracy and restore freedom to Venezuela. President Abinader spoke on the occasion of receiving Venezuelan politician Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia who has the voting rolls that show that he won in a landslide the 28 July 2024 election in Venezuela.
“Today, we proclaim with the strength of our history and the fervor of our convictions that freedom will prevail. Venezuela will recover its democracy. And together, as brotherly nations, we will continue building a future of hope,” said Abinader during the “Support for Democracy in Venezuela” event, held at the Ambassador’s Hall of the Presidential Palace. The event was attended by national and international guests, including former Latin American heads of government.
Abinader assured that the Dominican Republic would continue to champion the cause of liberty and would not rest until Venezuela’s democracy is once again flourishing.
“Edmundo, to you, to your family, to María Corina, and to the brave Venezuelan people, we say: your struggle is our struggle,” he emphasized, referring to the ongoing efforts in Venezuela to restore democratic order.
As reported by the Presidency, Abinader acknowledged the challenges faced by Venezuelans, particularly in the darkest moments of their struggle. “We know that in the darkest hours, it is easy to lose hope. We know that the chains of authoritarianism sometimes seem impossible to break. But we also know that no regime can withstand forever the will of a people determined to be free,” he declared.
Abinader reiterated that the Dominican Republic, as a nation with a strong democratic tradition and guided by the internationalist legacy of José Francisco Peña Gómez, would stand firm with those in Venezuela fighting for the right to freely choose their destiny.
The President mentioned the vote in Venezuela on 28 July 2024 was met with repression and fraud. “That is why, today, we raise our voices alongside other nations, condemning the use of violence, denouncing arbitrary detentions, and demanding respect for human rights,” he said.
For Abinader, democracy is more than just a political system; it is a sacred pact between rulers and the governed, based on trust and respect. “Breaking that pact is a betrayal not only of a people but of all humanity. For where democracy dies, poverty, persecution, and exile are born,” he warned.
He added: “We, the Dominicans, know this well. That’s why we have opened our doors to thousands of Venezuelans who now call our land home. And to them, we say: as long as a single Dominican stands, they will have an ally here in the fight for freedom.”
The President praised the Venezuelan people’s long history of democratic solidarity and stressed that now it is the Dominican Republic’s turn to show the same generosity. “History is watching us. In this crucial hour, we cannot falter. Just as Rómulo Betancourt supported the Dominican Republic’s democratic struggle, today it is our responsibility to live up to that legacy. The Declaration of Santo Domingo, signed by 22 countries and the European Union, was not just a document—it was a promise. And that promise must be fulfilled. Because when freedom is threatened in one nation, it is weakened everywhere,” Abinader proclaimed.
Diario Libre reported that Gonzalez Urrutia would leave on Sunday, 12 January after a five-day visit that started on 8 January. The newspaper did not give details on his destination. Before his Americas tour, he was living in exile in Spain.
His stopover here came after visiting four other countries in the Americas – Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, and Panama. After participating in an agenda with President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez on 9 January, Gonzalez assumed a low profile. Diario Libre reported he was staying at the Hotel Embajador in Santo Domingo.
Gonzalez Urrutia has the proof that he was the most voted in the 28 July 2024 presidential election in Venezuela. Nevertheless, the Maduro administration secured a ruling from the Supreme Court declaring him the president-elect and on 10 January 2025 he was sworn in for a third term in office.
During his visit to the Dominican Republic, Gonzalez Urrutia was accompanied by visiting former Latin American presidents, members of the IDEA (Iniciativa Democrática de España y las Américas) that advocates for democracy in the Americas.
In related developments, Vice Minister of Culture Bonny Cepeda resigned after attending the inauguration of Maduro in Caracas. And President Luis Abinader issued Dcree 8-25 removing Miguel Mejia from his position as Minister without Portfolio for Regional Integration Policies after the later criticized the position of the Abinader administration regarding Nicolas Maduro when attending the inauguration.
Mejía, who is also the Secretary General of the United Left Movement (MIU), had been named a minister without portfolio in the Dominican government in 2016 under the Danilo Medina administration. Political parties under the MIU have supported Maduro. Mejia was the government liaison with the governments of China, Vietnam, and North Korea, among others.
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13 January 2025