§ 9701 — Findings; Sense Of Congress In Support Of The Interim President Of Venezuela

(a) Congress makes the following findings: (1) Venezuela’s electoral event on May 20, 2018 was characterized by widespread fraud and did not comply with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process. (2) Given the fraudulent nature of Venezuela’s May 20, 2018 electoral event, Nicolás Maduro’s tenure as President of Venezuela ended on January 10, 2019. (3) The National Assembly of Venezuela approved a resolution on January 15, 2019 that terminated Nicolás Maduro’s authority as the President of Venezuela. (4) On January 23, 2019, the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela was sworn in as the Interim President of Venezuela. (b) It is the sense of Congress— (1) to support the decisions by the United States Government, more than 50 governments around the world, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Parliament to recognize National Assembly President Juan Guaidó as the Interim President of Venezuela; (2) to encourage the Interim President of Venezuela to advance efforts to hold democratic presidential elections in the shortest possible period; and (3) that the Organization of American States, with support from the United States Government and partner governments, should provide diplomatic, technical, and financial support for a new presidential election in Venezuela that complies with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.