Caracas,Venezuela. The South American bastion of socailism is getting some costly lessons in democracy as the west tries its best to destroy its socialist government and install a pro-US and pro-corporation administration.
In advance of an emergency meeting to discuss suspending Venezuela over its violations of the democratic order, the socialist government of Nicolás Maduro has formally begun proceedings to withdraw from the Organization of American States (OAS).
The US led OAS, requires members to govern democratically and allows for member states to call meetings to sanction, suspend, and expel fellow members from the group when they violate its democratic charter.
But before OAS member states could convene on Venezuela, however, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez announced that Venezuela would begin its withdrawal from the organization and filed official paperwork to do so on Thursday.
Maduro had strong condemnation for OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, calling him “slithering, shameless, at the service of the imperialist politics of the United States more than any secretary general in 70 years or the existence of the OAS.”
Venezuela, if it concludes the two-year process of withdrawal from the OAS, would be the first nation in the organization’s history to voluntarily do so. The decision to withdraw came “mere minutes” after the OAS voted to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the collapse of democracy in the country. The possibility of full expulsion, as occurred with communist Cuba in 1962, was a possibility without Venezuela voluntarily choosing to walk out.
Venezuelan state media outlets are portraying the move as a positive one for the country, a step towards independence from the United States. Maduro has repeatedly accused the United States of attempting to stage a coup d’etat against him or destabilize the country to enact an Iraq-style military invasion.