2017.07.2015:14:00UTC+00VENEZUELA: OAS Calls For Free Elections, Dismisses Constituent Assembly

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro called international community to reject a vote to form a new Constituent Assembly in Venezuela and to support free elections in the South American country.

In a testimony to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, during a special session on the subject, Almagro presented a report on the crisis in Venezuela and said that the Nicol?s Maduro administration lost its legitimacy. He also accused the Venezuelan president of deliberately trying to implement a gradual dismantling of democratic institutions as a mean to remain in power.

"Maduro's government has lost the legitimate support of the popular will, which has led the regime to resort to more aggressive and extreme measures to control and terrorize people," Almagro said in his report. He noted that more than a 100 people died in clashes occurred in the last few months.

"The government's intention of carrying out the constitutional process on July 30 is not democratic. The international community can not and should not do anything other than upholding the July 16 ruling," Almagro said.

His comments were referencing to an informal consultation recently made by opponents of the Venezuelan regime who strongly expressed their opposition to the constituent assembly and the need for new elections. Results couldn't be verified because the organizers burned votes and the voting lists right after the process.

"Free and fair elections are the only solution so that power can once again be in the hands of the Venezuelan people, who will be able to determine the course to follow to enjoy democracy and prosperity," said the OAS report.