Gustavo Pedro describes Maria Corina Machado's impeachment as an “anti-democratic coup” in Venezuela | Nicolás Maduro | Colombia | Video | the world

President of Colombia, Gustavo PedroThis Monday described the electoral disqualification of the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado It was an “anti-democratic conspiracy” and defended that the purpose of democracy was to “maintain the political rights of all citizens” regardless of their ideology.

“The right to choose is not only personal. It belongs to the community and today this debate (obviously) is well on the facts Venezuela To Mrs Maria Corina (Machado) and others before: they were disqualified from participating in election campaigns by the administrative authorities,” he said. Petro In an event Narino Palace, Headquarters of Administration.

WATCH: Venezuela: Machado thanks Lula, Macron and Pedro for their stance in presidential elections

At the disposal of counsel State of Gloria María Gómez MontoyaCompulsory He called for the protection and guarantee of political rights in Latin America regardless of ideology. And he vowed that “terminating the American Convention on Human Rights would lead to barbarism in all of Latin America.”

“What lies behind the need to protect the political right to choose, to be elected, and to participate equally with the state.“This is not just an individual political right, it's not just an individual Pedro or any other individual, it's a basic community right,” the Colombian head of state emphasized.

MachadoIneligible to hold elected office, he submitted his presidential candidacy to the Historian in the July 28 election. Corina Yoris, Unable to register through Democratic Unity Platform (PUD).

Against this, Pedro noted that “the point of democracy is to preserve the political rights of all citizens, regardless of whether their ways of thinking or believing change over time.”

“The same thing is happening here (in Colombia) as a kind of double standard; We attack what they are doing there (Ill Venezuela) because undoubtedly It is an anti-democratic conspiracy, But we hide the fact that the basic political right has been violated in Colombia and the same thing has been done here not only to the individual but also to society. Even in Venezuela, recently, they covered up the circumstances through a court ruling“, he said Petro.

The Colombian president was suspended and politically disqualified in 2013While he was mayor of Bogota, due to an administrative decision by the Attorney General's Office (Ministry of Public Affairs), but in March 2014 The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested precautionary measures in his favor and he was reinstated.

He President He also mentioned another Venezuelan opposition leader. Leopoldo Lopezexiled in Spain, and compared that situation to his own.

“Leopoldo Lopez disqualified in Venezuela. “That's the same thing they wanted to disqualify me for here,” He insisted.

Last Friday Machado He thanked other Latin American leaders like Pedro and the Brazilian Luis Inacio Lula da SilvaFor his position in the presidential election on July 28, the Venezuelan ruler Nicolás MaduroThey will seek re-election.