This redefines Venezuela’s role on the global stage, as President Maduro has said when he affirmed that the national government is a defender of the United Nations Charter, “but that it supports International Law, the right of peoples to peace, [and] non-interventionism.” The president has emphasized that in Venezuela “the future of humanity is being defined.”
Geopolitical Weight of Countries That Recognized Nicolás Maduro’s Victory
Misión Verdad, Orinoco Tribune, August 21, 2024 —
Following the Venezuelan presidential elections on July 28, various countries around the world have recognized the victory of President Nicolás Maduro.
So far, there are 18 from Asia, including China, Vietnam and Indonesia; 17 from Africa; 12 from Latin America and the Caribbean; four from Eurasia; and two from Europe.
89% of the total number of countries that have acknowledged victory are located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, regions that are, essentially, the Global South.
Although some governments in the Latin American region declared reservations or even rejected the result issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE), nations such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Honduras expressed their recognition of the electoral result bulletins issued by the Venezuelan electoral body.
The Russian Federation, Turkey, Pakistan and Serbia are among the 53 governments that have recognized the results, as well as governments in Africa such as Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo and Angola.
The 53 countries that have so far recognized President Nicolás Maduro’s victory represent:
- 33% of the global land surface,
- 42% of the world’s population,
- According to data from the World Bank, approximately 35% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measured by purchasing power ratio (PPP).
Venezuela between coercion and discredit attempts
The coercion of the United States and the European Union (EU) over neighboring countries in the region was expected, which has motivated their alignment with Washington and Brussels.
Since the Atlanticist powers started a new wave of pressure against Venezuela in the post-electoral context, the threat of an escalation of illegal sanctions has once again been on the table, seeking to get both companies and financial institutions to reduce their operations with the country for fear of falling victim to these resources.
The penalty for “helping Venezuela evade sanctions,” according to the Venezuelan Anti-Blockade Observatory, can be up to one million US dollars and up to 20 years in prison.
Prior to July 28, the invitation to the EU as an observer of the elections was revoked by the Venezuelan Electoral Power because it maintained in force the coercive mechanisms against the Venezuelan state.
The fact that it is the States of the Global South that recognize the victory of the Venezuelan president describes, on the one hand, the limits of coercion and, on the other, the transition of global power towards multipolarity. There are many mechanisms that are being exercised from the “collective West” to produce a regime change in Venezuela.
This has been demonstrated by the campaign from the so-called Big Tech, among which stands out Elon Musk, owner of X, the most widely used microblogging network in the world.
These technology companies are part of the international network of corporations that, for their deployment and development, require hydrocarbons and strategic minerals that are abundant in the country and in the Global South. A causal relationship that is key to understanding the international moment around the Venezuelan post-electoral scenario.
The energy issue
With the governments that have so far recognized Maduro’s victory, Venezuela has forged strategic relations based on self-determination and increasingly less mediated by a unipolar vision of international geopolitics.
The list of countries includes all members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
All member states of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) recognized the victory of the Venezuelan president.
Trinidad and Tobago, whose government has said the political situation in Venezuela would not affect major gas deals in the works, abstained from attending the July 31 meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) that sought to disavow the Venezuelan electoral process, as part of the aforementioned wave of Western pressure.
In a letter to President Maduro, GEFC Secretary General Mohamed Hamel praised Venezuela’s long-standing role and its strong support for the Forum’s progress since its creation. He said that Venezuelan citizens have once again placed their trust in the President, “reaffirming their renewed support for his leadership.”
“His Excellency’s efforts to maintain stability and forge crucial international alliances, even amid significant challenges, exemplify his resilient leadership that continues to guide his esteemed country forward. May Venezuela continue to benefit from his visionary leadership,” Hamel added on behalf of the countries of the organization.
On the other hand, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, invited his Venezuelan counterpart to attend the meeting of the leaders of the BRICS Plus members to be held on October 23 and 24 in the Russian city of Kazan.
Six of the ten current members of this group of countries (China, Egypt, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) recognized Maduro’s reelection, which is why it is worth highlighting the role that Venezuela would have in a space that brings together large energy producers but which, at the same time, also includes large consumers.
Furthermore, it is beneficial for the Venezuelan economy to move closer to a financial governance framework such as the New Development Bank (NDB), which would facilitate dedollarization, the flow of investments necessary for the maintenance of exploration, exploitation, refining/processing and marketing projects for hydrocarbons and minerals.
Most of the African and Asian countries that recognized the election result have global influence in terms of strategic minerals, which is no small fact given that the formation of the multipolar order has facilitated ties of cooperation between nations that advocate it.
Some ASEAN states play a crucial role in supplying critical minerals, particularly nickel from Indonesia, and others including Vietnam and Myanmar, governments that joined in recognizing Venezuela’s recent electoral process.
“The future of humanity is being defined”
While observers from 107 countries, including those from Chile, Spain, and Italy, recognized the solidity and transparency of the process, the imperialist geopolitical and diplomatic pressures against Venezuela is ongoing.
The limited dissemination of the statements from these observers has revealed how the mainstream discourse of the media corporations is coordinated with governments aligned with Washington in the search for a coup d’état in the country.
The geopolitical movements following the elections are still developing, however the support for Venezuela establishes a map where the conjunction of energy, geoeconomic and geopolitical factors has a high qualitative value, beyond the number of countries itself.