Commissioner Diaz calls on County to officially condemn Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro

MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz is sponsoring a resolution condemning the inauguration of Nicolas Maduro as president of Venezuela and refusing to recognize his presidency.

The resolution will be considered at the County Commission meeting to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 9 a.m. in the Commission Chamber, 111 NW 1st St.

“Nicolas Maduro and his corrupt, undemocratic socialist regime are keeping themselves in power through fraud, violence and intimidation,” Commissioner Diaz said. “The people of Venezuela continue to suffer horribly under his illegitimate and disastrous rule, and Miami-Dade County should join the U.S. government in condemning his dictatorship and refusing to recognize his presidency.”

Maduro’s Jan. 10 inauguration followed a May 2018 election that was roundly condemned as a sham by international observers.

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions against the Venezuelan government and has condemned and refused to recognize the Maduro presidency. In Venezuela, Juan Guaido, the new president of the nation’s congress, has appealed to the Venezuelan military to demand Maduro abandon power in a nationwide protest on Jan. 23, coinciding with the anniversary of the end of Venezuela's military dictatorship in 1958.

Commissioner Diaz, whose district includes Doral, which is home to the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States, has sponsored several resolutions condemning Venezuela’s dictatorship.