Caracas, January 14 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro asked the National Electoral Council (CNE) to invite the European Union (EU) and the United Nations as observers in the process of legislative elections scheduled for later this year.

During the presentation of his 2019 balance, the Venezuelan president was also firm in expressing that "what is definitive is that neither the Organization of American States (OAS) nor Luis Almagro will ever enter this country again."

"The European Union, the U.N. Secretary-General, the African Union, and all the organizations should be widely invited to come and see how the people of Venezuela, a free people, elect their new National Assembly," he added.

The Venzuelan leader said: "This year, 2020, we will undertake a fight against corruption, bureaucratism and against officials far from the people who are drowning us in useless paperwork.   We are going towards deep transformations to renew our practices and methods.  Either they change or they leave!"

On the list of possible guests, the president mentioned the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which gathers all American countries except for the United States and Canada.  Maduro said he agreed that the CNE, "should prepare more open guarantees, even more, open than those that have yet been provided" for the upcoming elections.

"One of those guarantees, he insisted, is a policy of "open doors to international observation,” adding that "may there be elections this year 2020 to elect a new National Assembly and may the people decide this conflict with their conscience, with their political will."

Nicolas Maduro noted that despite the economic war, in 2019, the country expanded the Social Protection System, successfully tested Petro, and structurally and sustainably improved our supply network.  

Maduro also asked the National Dialogue Board to "bring the legitimate government, the opposition represented by Juan Guaido all together in one table."  In his opinion, Guaido is "a ventriloquist puppet" who responds to the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump and does not care about democracy or the Venezuelans.  While Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced that the U.S. government is promoting a plan to intervene in the upcoming elections.