EU’s Borrell calls Maduro’s regime ‘dictatorial’

The EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell described Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela as “dictatorial” and “authoritarian” on Sunday, alluding to those forced to flee the country, including the opposition leader whom Madrid granted asylum last week.

Borrell commented on Maduro's regime in an exclusive interview with Spanish private television station Telecinco, broadcast on Sunday.

"Let's not fool ourselves about the nature of things. Venezuela has called elections, but it was not a democracy before, and it is much less so after”, Borrell added, reported EFE.

In particular, Borrell highlighted the fact that opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia and "seven million Venezuelans" have had to flee the country and the "thousand restrictions" to which political parties are subjected.

“What do you call all this? Well, of course, this is a dictatorial, authoritarian, dictatorial regime," the chief diplomat added.

Borrell's comments come as relations between Madrid and Caracas have reached boiling point, especially after Maduro's regime announced on Saturday (14 September) the arrest of two Spanish citizens, three Americans and a Czech national, accused of collaborating in a plot to commit "terrorist" acts in Venezuela, including the attempted "assassination" of Maduro.

Meanwhile, sources in the Spanish Foreign Ministry denied on Sunday (15 September) that the two Basque tourists had any connection with the Spanish secret services (CNI).

[Edited by Daniel Eck]