22 U.S.C. § 9701: Findings; sense of Congress…

Summary

Says Venezuela’s May 20, 2018 election was widely fraudulent and did not meet international standards, so Nicolás Maduro’s presidency ended on January 10, 2019. The National Assembly ended his authority on January 15, 2019, and on January 23, 2019 its president, Juan Guaidó, was sworn in as Interim President. Congress backs the U.S., more than 50 other governments, and international bodies like the Organization of American States, Inter‑American Development Bank, and European Parliament in recognizing Guaidó. It urges him to hold free, fair presidential elections as soon as possible and asks the OAS, with U.S. and partner governments, to give diplomatic, technical, and financial support for a new election that meets international standards.

Title 22, §9701

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Findings

Congress makes the following findings:

(1)Venezuela’s electoral event on May 20, 2018 was characterized by widespread fraud and did not comply with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.

(2)Given the fraudulent nature of Venezuela’s May 20, 2018 electoral event, Nicolás Maduro’s tenure as President of Venezuela ended on January 10, 2019.

(3)The National Assembly of Venezuela approved a resolution on January 15, 2019 that terminated Nicolás Maduro’s authority as the President of Venezuela.

(4)On January 23, 2019, the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela was sworn in as the Interim President of Venezuela.

(b)Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress—

(1)to support the decisions by the United States Government, more than 50 governments around the world, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Parliament to recognize National Assembly President Juan Guaidó as the Interim President of Venezuela;

(2)to encourage the Interim President of Venezuela to advance efforts to hold democratic presidential elections in the shortest possible period; and

(3)that the Organization of American States, with support from the United States Government and partner governments, should provide diplomatic, technical, and financial support for a new presidential election in Venezuela that complies with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 116–94, div. J, title I, § 101, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 3030, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter and amending provisions set out as a note under section 1701 of Title 50, War and National Defense] may be cited as the ‘Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development Act of 2019’ or the ‘VERDAD Act of 2019’.”

§9701 Findings; Sense of Congress in Support of the Interim President of Venezuela

Summary

Title 22, §9701

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

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