12.08.2024 01:00
It is claimed that the government of US President Joe Biden has offered political asylum to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for him stepping down from the presidency. It has also been stated that the US has provided assurances that Maduro and senior government officials will not be extradited back to Venezuela if they are to be prosecuted in the future.
The American Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper claimed that the US President Joe Biden's government offered political asylum to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for his resignation.
OFFER TO MADURO: "RESIGN AND COME TO THE US" In the news based on sources in the White House, it was stated that the US is trying to persuade Maduro and senior government officials to resign before the new presidency in January in exchange for political asylum, stating that they will face future criminal charges. One of the sources who spoke to the newspaper stated that Maduro and senior government officials were also given a guarantee of not being extradited to Venezuela if they were to be tried by the country's judicial authorities in the future.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro The news stated that the "secret talks" between the US and the Maduro government were also seen as a ray of hope for the opposition, who claimed to have won the elections on July 28th and rejected the election results. It was mentioned in the news that the issue of Maduro stepping down was discussed in the "secret agreement" made between the US and Venezuela in Doha, the capital of Qatar, last year, and that the Venezuelan President refused to discuss this issue.
MADURO HAD SHARED THE DOCUMENTS OF THE SECRET AGREEMENT Last week, Maduro shared the documents of the "secret agreement" signed with the US in Qatar on social media. The documents shared in the post stated that an agreement was reached between the Biden administration and the Maduro administration to lift US sanctions on Venezuela's oil, banking, and gold sectors if the opposition participated in the country's presidential election and "adhered to the elections." Nicolas Maduro, in a press conference held on August 9th, used the expression "Do not interfere in Venezuela's internal affairs. This is my only request from you." regarding the US.
"MADURO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS" Meanwhile, a senior official from the White House, who spoke to McClatchy newspaper on the condition of anonymity, stated that the US did not make any offer to Maduro, but emphasized that the US is ready to discuss all possibilities to get the country out of its current situation. The US official stated that they are working on a series of options to put pressure on Maduro and Venezuelan officials to recognize the "real results of the election," saying, "The responsibility lies with Maduro and Venezuelan officials to clarify the election results."
The official emphasized that they called on Maduro to recognize the election results of July 28th, where Edmundo Gonzalez was declared the winner, and said, "We are in close contact with our regional and international partners to find a solution to this election deadlock."
ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA The presidential election was held in Venezuela on July 28th. According to the results announced by the Venezuelan Electoral Council, Nicolas Maduro won the presidential election for the 3rd time with 51.20% of the votes. After the completion of the election, the opposition claimed that the data of the National Electoral Council was not accurate and that the results were manipulated.