The government of Costa Rica congratulated the people of Venezuela for their participation in the plebiscite convened by the opposition, against the Constituent Assembly convened by President Nicolas Maduro.
Almost all of the 6,959 Venezuelans who came out Sunday to vote in Costa Rica in the referendum on the Constituent Assembly, said no to that initiative of the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
According to the organizers of the consultation, 99.7% rejected the proposal, while agreeing to require the military and other officials to obey and defend the Constitution.
Like in Escazu, on the other side of San Jose, in Curridabat, Venezuelans in Costa Rica were able to vote from 7:00 am to 6:10 pm.
Around the world, Venezuelans in more than 500 cities cast the vote. In South Florida, for example, at least 100,000 Venezuelans were ready to vote. In Los Angeles, California, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez, has this message: “This is the moment to claim all those we have lost in the front of the protest, and to all the people who have died because of the laziness, insecurity, lack of leadership and transparency.”
Venezuelans in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Brazil, among other countries, all took part in the popular vote.
In Colombia in particular, the neighboring country that has seen a massive influx of Venezuelans, as it shares a 2,200 kilometers border, is now home to an estimated 50,000 Venezuelans.
Back in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica Foreign Ministry said on Monday “its recognition of the people of Venezuela for active citizen participation reflected in the popular consultation,” which involved more than 7 million Venezuelans.
“The civic participation demonstrated by more than seven million Venezuelans, both inside and outside their territory, demonstrates their unyielding vocation for democracy and their firm will overcome the critical political, economic, social and humanitarian situation that affects that country by Peaceful means,” the Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
Costa Rica has issued a strong condemnation of the acts of violence perpetrated during the civic day, which left people dead and injured.
“Costa Rica is confident that the popular will expressed in this democratic exercise against the holding of a National Constituent Assembly will be respected by the authorities of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and that all efforts to ensure the return of constitutional and democratic order in that country,” concluded the official statement.
For their being part of a group of “observers”, former Costa Rica presidents Laura Chinchilla and Miguel Angel Rodriguez, were declared ‘personas non gratas” by the government of Venezuela.
Chinchilla and Rodriguez were to accompany on Sunday the former president of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga and Colombia’s Andres Pastrana, who were also declared “personas non gratas”.
Hoy, declaramos “persona non grata” a los siguientes individuos: Jorge Quiroga, Andrés Pastrana, Laura Chinchilla y Miguel A Rodríguez (2/3)
— Samuel Moncada (@SMoncada_VEN) July 18, 2017
In a message on Twitter, Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, made it clear that the former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, will never again be allowed entry into Venezuela.
Ayer anunciamos una medida de profilaxis política: el Sr Vicente Fox no entra más a Venezuela. Nuestro pueblo ha festejado la decisión (1/3)
— Samuel Moncada (@SMoncada_VEN) July 18, 2017
