DistantNews
🇻🇪 Venezuela /Elections & Politics

Lula da Silva calls for general elections in Venezuela as solution to political crisis

From El Nacional · (3d ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed general elections as a solution to Venezuela's political crisis.
  • Lula emphasized that any solution must be internally agreed upon by Venezuelan political forces, without foreign intervention.
  • He criticized the United States' role in Venezuela, stating that Washington cannot manage the country and that Latin America must remain a zone of peace.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has once again addressed the complex political situation in Venezuela, advocating for the convocation of general elections as a potential pathway to stability. Speaking in a recent interview, Lula made it clear that the resolution to Venezuela's crisis cannot be externally imposed but must emerge from a consensus among the nation's own political actors. He suggested that a new electoral process, if agreed upon by all parties, could be the mechanism to restore institutional order and peace.

Lula's remarks come at a particularly sensitive time for Venezuela, following the events of early 2026 which led to the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro and a subsequent political upheaval. While international actors have increasingly called for electoral solutions, Lula has consistently championed Venezuelan sovereignty and rejected foreign interference. He reiterated the importance of Latin America preserving its status as a zone of peace, warning against unilateral actions that could exacerbate existing conflicts.

That is a problem of Venezuela, not of Brazil. But if I were Venezuelan and vice president, and if what happened had happened, I would take office and call general elections. I would do that. There would have to be an electoral process agreed upon with the opposition so that the result would be accepted and Venezuela would return to peace.

— Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaExplaining his proposed solution for Venezuela's political crisis.

The Brazilian leader directly challenged the United States' involvement, stating, "What cannot happen is that the United States believes it can manage Venezuela. That is not normal, it has no place in democracy." Lula stressed that dialogue and political negotiation should be the cornerstones of any resolution, promoting agreements that ensure electoral conditions acceptable to all sides. He underscored that the international community should support, not supplant, the sovereign decisions of nations, reinforcing his commitment to a diplomatic and internally driven solution for Venezuela.

What cannot be is that the United States believes that it can manage Venezuela. That is not normal, it has no place in democracy.

— Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaCriticizing the United States' role and perceived interference in Venezuelan affairs.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog