Sec. 404. Upholding the Organization of American States Inter-American Democratic Charter
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Congress makes the following findings: Article 1 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which was adopted by the Organization of American States in Lima on September 11, 2001, states: The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it. . Article 19 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter states an unconstitutional interruption of the democratic order or an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member state, constitutes, while it persists, an insurmountable obstacle to its government’s participation in sessions of the General Assembly … and other bodies of the Organization. .
Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter states the following: In the event of an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member state, any member state or the Secretary General may request the immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to undertake a collective assessment of the situation and to take such decisions as it deems appropriate. . The Permanent Council, depending on the situation, may undertake the necessary diplomatic initiatives, including good offices, to foster the restoration of democracy. .
Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter states When the special session of the General Assembly determines that there has been an unconstitutional interruption of the democratic order of a member state, and that diplomatic initiatives have failed, the special session shall take the decision to suspend said member state. . It is the sense of Congress that— Nicolás Maduro and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela have carried out systematic efforts to undermine, block, and circumvent the authorities and responsibilities of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as mandated in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; the electoral process convened by the National Electoral Council of Venezuela on May 20, 2018 was not democratic, free, fair, or transparent;
Nicolás Maduro’s attempt to inaugurate himself for a second term in office on January 10, 2019, was not legitimate; such events constitute an unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in Venezuela; and the Secretary of State, working through the United States Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, should take additional steps to support ongoing efforts by the Secretary General— to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and to promote diplomatic initiatives to foster the restoration of Venezuelan democracy.