Panama Recalls All Diplomatic Staff From Venezuela

José Raúl Mulino, the president of Panama, said in a statement on Monday that Panama would remove all diplomatic staff from Venezuela the end of diplomatic relations with President Nicolas Maduro's regime following the announced results from the 2024 presidential election on early Monday morning..A Troubled Election.President Mulino previously denounced the results announced by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) hours prior to this statement. "Panama joins the general rejection regarding the electoral result in Vzla [Venezuela]." The president said in a statement on X. "We aspired for the popular will to be respected and such a situation was unknown. We will act individually and collectively in favor of Venezuelan democracy. We will announce measures that we will adopt in accordance with inter-American rules in the coming hours.".Panama is not the only nation to take a firm stance against alleged electoral tampering from the Maduro regime, President Mulino has been joined by leftist Chilean president, Gabriel Boric Font, Argentine president Javier Milei, United States senator representing Florida, Marco Rubio, among other key political figures.."The Maduro regime in Venezuela has just carried out the most predictable and ridiculous sham election in modern history." Rubio stated on X following the announcement of results..The results of the election remain contentious following reports of armed groups of men stealing ballot boxes, the issuing of fraudulent votes, mass mobilizations by the opposition, and an exit poll conducted by Edison Research which predicted opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia was to secure 65 percent of the vote. Many critics have alleged the president has utilized his control over the CNE to issue fraudulent votes in order to remain in power, with those opposed to Maduro's continued reign pointing towards the aforementioned exit poll alongside reports from polling stations across the country of González's victory in the election.."Dictator Maduro, out!" Argentine President Javier Milei, a well known anti-communist who has previously gone so far as to insult both Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Maduro due to being "communists," said on X following the announced results. "Venezuelans chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro. The data announced a crushing victory for the opposition and the world is waiting for it to recognize defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death. Argentina is not going to recognize another fraud, and hopes that the Armed Forces this time will defend democracy and the popular will. Freedom Advances in Latin America.".Accusations of illicit political tactics, intimidation, and political violence have already been levied against Maduro and the ruling PSUV throughout both the campaigning process and election day, casting further doubts upon the elections legitimacy. While investigations into supposed electoral interference by Maduro's regime may be launched in the days after election day, consequences for the president or the PSUV remain unlikely. This lack of punishment however will likely not appease foreign nations who hold Maduro in ill repute, likely worsening relations between Venezuela and foreign nations such as the United States who previously celebrated the Barbados Agreement, an agreement between Maduro and the opposition mediated by Norway in order to facilitate free and fair elections in exchange for the lessening of sanctions against Venezuelan entities and industries..Both President Mulino and his Ecuadorian counterpart, Daniel Noboa, have declared their intention to convene the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) in an effort to address the results of the election..Despite Maduro's many critics, a number of world leaders and political figures have spoken out in support of the newly established president. Xiomara Castro, the president of Honduras and member of the left-wing Liberty and Refoundation party, president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló..As the election remains contested between the Venezuelan government and the opposition Unitary Platform, an alliance of Venezuelan opposition parties, the future of Venezuela remains unknown. Some speculate there may be an attempt to depose Maduro directly as previously seen during the 2018 election when a number of international organizations and foreign nations declared Maduro's election illegitimate, instead endorsing the president of Venezuela's National Assembly and member of the opposition party Popular Will, Juan Guaidó. With support from the OAS and the United States, Guaidó was sworn in as interim president beginning a prolonged war for power within Venezuela characterized by clashes between Maduro loyalists and opposition supporters, attempts to take control of Venezuela's Asset Board, and a military uprising against the Maduro regime known as "Operation Freedom.".What Another Seven Years of Maduro Could Mean.Since 1999, Venezuela has been under the rule of socialists first with Hugo Chavez whose political ideology dubbed Chavism has been handed down to current president, Nicolas Maduro. Chavez ruled until 2013 when the late president died of cancer, leaving behind a massive power struggle as high ranking officials within Chavez's PSUV and the political opposition scrambled for power. Ultimately, after elections held the same year of his death Nicolas Maduro was elected president with a mere 1.5 percent margin over his opponent, Henrique Capriles, the presidential candidate for the opposition Democratic Unity Platform..Prior to the death of Chavez however, Venezuela wagered its vast deposits of oil for economic gain. These reserves coupled with increasing oil prices in the 2000s ultimately led to Venezuela finding itself with a large increase in funds which was used to address poverty across the country. While critics of Chavez's regime claimed the then president used the funds to buy votes and ultimately support his rule rather than the good of Venezuela, the result of Chavez's work led to a 20% decrease in poverty across the country..This over-reliance on oil would eventually lead to the current economic crisis within Venezuela today, further exacerbated by poor fiscal decisions by both Chavez and Maduro throughout their respective tenures. In the early 2010s, these poor decisions made by Chavez ultimately left Venezuela's economy struggling with shortages of food and other goods becoming commonplace amid rising inflation and poverty rates..These economic issues only increased in 2015 amid falling oil prices coupled with struggles within Venezuela's oil production industry. During the start of the financial crisis within Venezuela, anti-government demonstrations became a common sight, a fact that Maduro's regime would seek to acknowledge. Maduro's government enacted a viscous crackdown on political dissent, with reports of authorities executing dissenters and imprisoning those who spoke against the government becoming more common..In the face of Venezuela's humanitarian crisis both in terms of economic hardship and political repression, United States President Barack Obama designated Venezuela as a national security threat and issued sanctions against a number of the nation's political figures in an effort to force the hands of the country's political elite. Sanctions would increase in 2017 under the Trump administration, with these new sanctions targeting more Venezuelan political figures. President Trump would then sign further sanctions into effect in 2019, this time targeting Venezuela's oil, gold, and other industries vital for the country..In an effort to lessen sanctions against Venezuela, Maduro's government signed the Barbados Agreement in October 2023 with the Unitary Platform. This agreement was intended to promote political rights and electoral guarantees for those wishing to run for office ahead of the presidential election. Following the signing, the United States and European Union relieved some sanctions against Venezuela's oil and gold industries. This relief would not last long however, as sanctions against Venezuela's gold mining industry were reimposed in late January following perceived failures of Maduro's regime to respect the agreement..With Maduro's victory in this year's election, Venezuela is set to continue the policies of Chavism likely continuing the economic decline of the country. The original sanctions imposed against Maduro's regime are likely to be reasserted by the United States and the European Union following the wealth of accusations of tampering and repression during the election period while political repression by Maduro's regime will likely ramp up with the conclusion of elections..Protests against Maduro's continued reign are sure to break out in the days following the announced results, while reprisals by the state are sure to follow.