German parties’ reactions to the US attack on Venezuela.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt, Chancellor Friedrich Mertz accused Maduro of unholy alliances and drug trafficking, saying he had “brought his country to ruin.”
He claimed that the last elections in Venezuela were fraudulent, adding: “Like many countries in the world, we have never recognized Maduro’s presidency.”
The German Chancellor continued: “Basically, the principles of international law must apply in interactions between countries, and political instability must not be allowed to arise in Venezuela.”
He called for “an orderly transition to a government that is legitimized through elections.”
But Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German Bundestag from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, condemned the move as a “coup.”
“With a Trump presidency, the United States is abandoning the rule of law that has shaped the world since 1945,” he said.
The German MP viewed the developments in Venezuela as a sign of Washington’s return to the pre-1940 US doctrine, which is based on the rule of law rather than international law.
He added: “With such actions, Donald Trump is destroying what was left of trust in America.”
On the other hand, Jürgen Hardt, foreign policy spokesman for the Christian Social and Christian Democratic parliamentary group, called Maduro’s kidnapping “a sign of hope for Venezuela,” claiming: “Maduro has suppressed civil society in his country for years and has spread terror and drugs in the region.”
Omid Nouripour, leader of the Green Party of Germany, also claimed: “Maduro stole the freedom of the Venezuelan people. He lacked any democratic legitimacy, although with Trump’s unilateral action, the international rule-based order is also collapsing.”
“Anyone who wants to ignore international law endangers world peace,” he said.