Rubio Urges Obama Administration To Not Legitimize Maduro Government In Venezuela

Statement

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement regarding Venezuela:

"I am deeply concerned that the interim government of Venezuela moved forward with the swearing in ceremony for Nicolas Maduro before a full recount of the votes to ensure the will of the Venezuelan people has been accurately expressed. I urge the Obama administration to refrain from taking any actions that would legitimize the Maduro government until all allegations of electoral fraud are genuinely investigated.

"This crisis must be resolved peacefully through dialogue and not by incitement to violence. I deplore the attacks on opposition figures and the interim government's attempts to blame the opposition for the violence that has occurred thus far.

"The end result in Venezuela needs to be a democratic process that respects the rights and aspirations of the Venezuelan people. America looks forward to the day when Venezuela ends its security relationship with the Cuban regime, ousts and prosecutes drug kingpins who now hold senior government posts and dismantles, rather than expands, the Iranian and terrorist networks it has welcomed into the hemisphere.

"We should base our relationship on these actions, not fraudulent elections and rushed inaugurations. This is an important moment in Venezuela's history and it is essential that the Obama administration ensure America is on the side of the Venezuelan people."

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