Calls on the Venezuelan government to postpone the presidential election and any concurrent National Assembly, state legislative council, or municipal council elections scheduled for April 22, 2018, until: (1) credible election observers are allowed to observe the electoral process; (2) the National Electoral Council is led by trusted nonpartisan members; (3) opposition parties and candidates are free to peacefully compete in the election without threat of arrest or retribution; (4) arrangements are made for all Venezuelan voters, including those residing outside of Venezuela, to participate in the election; and (5) there is no link between an individual's vote and his or her receipt of food rations.
Condemns Venezuelan President Maduro's authoritarian steps to undermine democratic institutions.
Rejects the Venezuelan government's efforts to blame the country's economic, humanitarian, and political crisis on other actors instead of recognizing its own malfeasance and criminality.
Urges the Venezuelan government to permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to stop using food as a tool of political coercion.
Condemns the Venezuelan government for failing to credibly participate in internationally mediated negotiations to restore democracy, free political prisoners, and permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Supports: (1) Peru's decision, as host of the Eighth Summit of the Americas, to not invite President Maduro; and (2) efforts of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to examine Venezuela's use of torture and arbitrary detentions.