Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) issued the following statement rejecting the legitimacy of Nicolas Maduro’s new presidential term and urging the international community to recognize the democratically-elected National Assembly.

Ranking Member McCaul: “Today is another dark day for the people of Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro’s illegitimate presidency is based on a fraudulent election in which the largest political opposition parties were banned from participating. Maduro will continue to trample on what little remains of the country’s democratic institutions and worsen one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises. This Socialist dictatorship has brought immense human suffering and led to the mass migration of millions of citizens.
 
“I applaud the countries in the Lima Group and in the OAS who recognized Venezuela’s National Assembly as the only legitimate and democratically-elected institution in the country. I strongly urge other countries around the world to reject this regime that threatens to destabilize the region and to take action to return freedom and democracy for the Venezuelan people.”

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