Venezuela revokes invitation for EU mission to observe presidential election in July

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s election authorities on Tuesday revoked an invitation to a European Union mission to observe the country’s upcoming presidential election, in which President Nicolás Maduro is seeking reelection.

The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, cited economic sanctions imposed by the bloc as the reason for withdrawing the invitation. The EU had not yet accepted the invite that was extended earlier this year.

Amoroso said Tuesday’s decision is intended to show that EU representatives “are not welcome to come here to our country while the genocidal sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and especially its government, are maintained.”

The bloc, however, only maintains sanctions against more than 50 Venezuelans accused of acts of repression or efforts to undermine democracy, but not against the government as a whole.