WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) issued the following joint statement in support of Juan Guaidó’s re-election as President of the Venezuelan National Assembly and as Interim President of Venezuela:  

 “This week, the international community once again witnessed the criminality of dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime and the lengths he is willing to go in order to maintain his illegitimate grip on power. Despite a widespread wave of repression by the Maduro regime, Interim President Juan Guaidó was once again sworn in today, extending his mandate as President of the democratically elected National Assembly and as Interim President of Venezuela.

“We reaffirm our support for Venezuela’s constitutionally legitimate government led by Interim President Juan Guaidó and the democratically elected National Assembly. We condemn the recent acts of repression and physical assault against deputies of the National Assembly and members of the free press by Maduro’s GNB (Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela) forces and armed colectivos. We urge the international community to take a strong stance against Maduro and his cronies for undermining democratic order, human rights, and fundamental freedoms in Venezuela.”

Cardin is Ranking Member and Rubio is the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues.

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