Turning Blind Eye to Brazilian Coup, OAS Targets Venezuela's Maduro
Published on Tuesday, May 31, 2016
by Common Dreams
Turning Blind Eye to Brazilian Coup, OAS Targets Venezuela's Maduro
Secretary General invokes Democratic Charter at the behest of Venezuela's right-wing opposition at the same time Brazil faces an overt crisis of democracy
by Lauren McCauley, staff writer
The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday called for an emergency meeting over what he described as an "institutional crisis" of democracy in Venezuela. But supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and other leftist governments in the region, are saying that—while Brazil essentially "burns under coup"—the hemispheric body is going after the wrong villain.
In a 132-page letter (pdf), OAS secretary general Luis Almagro invoked the Inter-American Democratic Charter, calling for a permanent council meeting to address the "alteration of the constitutional order and how it gravely affects the democratic order" in the socialist country.
"The institutional crisis in Venezuela demands immediate changes in the actions of the executive branch," Almagro wrote, adding that the South American nation is "at risk of falling immediately into a situation of illegitimacy."
As AFP explains, the Permanent Council may vote to suspend Venezuela's membership in the OAS with a two-thirds vote. The move was requested by Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress to assess whether the Maduro government was in violation for imposing a state of emergency as the country struggles with shortages of food, medical supplies, and blackouts as a result of plunging oil prices.
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/31/turning-blind-eye-brazilian-coup-oas-targets-venezuelas-maduro
Good Reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016158927
