The regime of Nicolás Maduro denied entry to Venezuela to a delegation from the Spanish Popular Party that traveled to Caracas this Friday. The delegation was invited by the opposition presidential candidates Edmundo González and María Corina Machado.
The Spanish politicians, part of the center-right party, were detained at the Caracas airport and ordered to return on another flight to Madrid.
"I have just been informed that the Spanish Popular Party delegation, consisting of 10 deputies, senators, and Members of the European Parliament, is being detained at Caracas airport by the Maduro regime. I demand their immediate release and that the Spanish government take the necessary steps to ensure this," said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the Spanish Popular Party, on social media.
This action by Maduro's regime stands in stark contrast to the reception of other Spanish politicians, such as the socialist former president and supporter of the so-called "Bolivarian revolution," José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, or the founder of the Spanish far-left party Podemos, Juan Carlos Monedero, a propagandist and advisor to Chavismo.
Detention at Maiquetía Airport
Upon their arrival at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, the group of ten conservative Spanish politicians was detained for about two hours, according to Libertad Digital. Shortly after, the expulsion of the delegation was confirmed, which deputy Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo described as "an absolutely grotesque scene and a fourth-rate dictatorship."
"They didn't dare put it in writing, although we asked them to," Álvarez de Toledo revealed. "They started by saying that we had voted in favor of sanctions against Venezuela, but these were not against the country but against the regime's leaders... and that was in the European Parliament," she added.
According to Álvarez de Toledo, when she asked if this decision was consistent with elections that the regime itself declares free and democratic, Maduro's authorities responded affirmatively, "that they are free and democratic."
"I told them that this was clearly incompatible with the expulsion of a delegation invited by the opposition," she told the media.
For Miguel Tellado, parliamentary spokesperson for the PP who was part of the delegation, "the fact that we were expelled makes it clear [the regime's] intentions to manipulate the upcoming Sunday elections."
In a message shared on social media, Tellado admitted that "what we feared might happen has happened" and stated that "the tyrant Maduro has behaved as he is."
Álvarez de Toledo also posted a message on X with a video in which she wanted to "send all the strength and hope" to Venezuelans who "have mobilized in a heroic and historic way, fighting for democracy in their country."
She also mentioned having communicated with María Corina Machado. "I told her that, just as she is not afraid, I am sure millions of Venezuelans are not afraid either."
In this regard, she urged them to "go massively to vote this Sunday so that this country can open doors and windows and become the free, democratic, strong, prosperous, and vibrant nation that you have every right to be."
FAQs on the Expulsion of Spanish Popular Party Delegation from Venezuela
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers regarding the recent expulsion of the Spanish Popular Party delegation from Venezuela by Maduro's regime.
Why was the Spanish Popular Party delegation expelled from Venezuela?
The Spanish Popular Party delegation was expelled because they were seen as a threat to the regime's control over the upcoming elections. Maduro's authorities claimed that the delegation had supported sanctions against Venezuela, which they denied, stating that the sanctions were against the regime's leaders.
Who else has been allowed entry into Venezuela by Maduro's regime?
Other Spanish politicians, such as the socialist former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Juan Carlos Monedero, founder of the far-left party Podemos, have been allowed entry. Both are supporters of the Bolivarian revolution.