Colombia's Petro Calls Re-Do Of Venezuela's Presidential Election Amid U.S. Pressure: 'It Would Be Wise for Maduro and Machado'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for Venezuela to hold a new presidential election with "real guarantees for all contenders," arguing that renewed political dialogue, rather than foreign intervention, is the only legitimate path forward.

Petro's remarks followed reports that U.S. officials told Congress they lacked legal justification to support strikes against land targets in Venezuela. Posting on X, Petro wrote:

"Neither missiles nor a foreign invasion are legal, neither under U.S. law nor under international treaties. That is why the path I propose may be more real: unleash political dialogue in Venezuela and convene elections with real guarantees for all contenders. It would be wise for Maduro and María Corina Machado to allow this peaceful, sovereign solution by the Venezuelan people"

Thursday's post is the second time this week the Colombian president has championed elections as a possible way out of the current Venezuelan crisis. On Tuesday, he warned that foreign military action would backfire, saying an invasion would expand "narcotrafficking and the theft of oil and gasoline on a large scale," strengthen illegal gold and coltan markets, and undermine regional stability, arguing instead that free elections are needed to ensure stronger governance over Venezuela's resources and territory.

Petro's position has been ambivalent regarding the Maduro regime since the U.S. began its military deployment in the Caribbean in August. In late October, he wrote on X:

"No, I do not defend Maduro, I did not recognize his election, but I defend even less an invasion of the homeland of Bolívar — that would be the ultimate betrayal of the history and future of all Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuelans must solve Venezuela's problems"

Petro's comments regarding Nobel Laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Machado, on the other hand, have been more stern. In an October 21 interview with a local Colombian outled, Petro called her "a despicable person" for allegedly inviting foreign intervention in Venezuela, asserting that "a traitor... is one who invites others to invade their own country." He has also criticized her international outreach, including past attempts to gain support from Israeli and Argentine leaders.