“I observed with great concern that in Venezuela – in a climate of violence that caused numerous victims, worsening an already intolerable casualty toll – they have proceeded to elect the members of the Constituent Assembly despite the appeals of the international community to suspend an initiative that is not supported by the majority of Venezuelans. Expediting the work of the Assembly does not eliminate the need for a constructive dialogue with the opposition based on the four conditions put forward by the Holy See to avert the risk of a definitive political rupture between the Country’s institutions.
The new Constitution will be drafted by an Assembly that, in consideration of its constituent nature, is not democratically legitimised and cannot go against the fundamental principles of the rule of law and representative democracy, including respecting the sovereign powers of Parliament, which will have to continue to be empowered to express the will of the people.
In any case, any eventual future change to the Country’s institutional setup will have to be submitted to a universal secret-vote popular referendum to certify its full correspondence with the will of the people.” The statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano.
