,,iii ,calendar ,no4 #bja #aacth        
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4 ,,res4   
#bac  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the    
,,united ,,states  ,august #a1 #bjac,mr4
 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rubio1   
,mr4 ,nelson1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,udall  
of ,new ,mexico1 ,mr4 ,mc,cain1 ,mr4    
,kirk1 ,mr4 ,graham1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7  
submitted the following resolution2     
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,foreign ,relations  ,september #cj1    
#bjac,reported by ,mr4 ,menendez1 with  
an amendment and an amendment to the    
preamble and an amendment to the        
title,strike out all after the resolving
 clause and insert the part printed in  
italic,strike the preamble and insert   
the part printed in italic  ,,resolution
  ,expressing support for the free and  
peaceful exercise of representative     
democracy in ,venezuela and condemning  
violence and intimidation against the   
country's political opposition4         
,whereas the ,national ,electoral       
,council 7,,cne7 of ,venezuela declared 

,nicols ,maduro to be the winner of     
,venezuela's ,april #ad1 #bjac1         
presidential election1 after crediting  
him with receiving #ej4f percent of     
votes cast2 ,whereas ,venezuela's       
political opposition has highlighted    
widespread incidents of potential       
electoral irregularities1 voter         
intimidation1 and other abuses          
perpetrated by the ,government of       
,venezuela in favor of the candidacy of 
,nicols ,maduro2 ,whereas the           
,organization of ,american ,states and  
other multilateral institutions called  
for a full recount and audit that       
addresses all claims by participants in 
the electoral process in ,venezuela2    
,whereas the ,senate of the ,republic of
 ,chile1 the ,christian ,democratic     
,organization of the ,americas1 the     
,socialist ,international1 the ,union of
 ,latin ,american parties1 and other    
political organizations in the region   
have issued declarations recognizing the
 alleged irregularities documented by   

the opposition in ,venezuela and urged a
 complete audit of the election results2
 ,whereas the ,,cne has denied the      
political opposition's request for a    
full and comprehensive audit of the     
election results that includes the      
review and comparison of voter registry 
log books1 vote tallies produced by     
electronic voting machines1 and the     
paper receipts printed by electronic    
voting machines2 ,whereas the ,preamble 
of the ,charter of the ,organization of 
,american ,states affirms that          
representative democracy is an          
indispensable condition for the         
stability1 peace and development of the 
region1 and ,article #a of the          
,inter-,american ,democratic ,charter   
recognizes that the people of the       
,americas have a right to democracy and 
their governments have an obligation to 
promote and defend it2 ,whereas the     
republican form of government prescribed
 in the ,constitution of the ,bolivarian
 ,republic of ,venezuela has its        

legislative branch in the ,national     
,assembly1 where the free participation 
and deliberation of its democratically  
elected representatives is essential to 
legislate and check the powers of the   
executive branch2 ,whereas the          
,president of the ,national ,assembly   
denied opposition parties the right to  
speak in the legislature from ,april #af
 to ,may #ba1 #bjac1 and removed them   
from key committees in response to their
 refusal to recognize ,nicols ,maduro as
 president2 ,whereas members of the     
ruling ,united ,socialist ,party of     
,venezuela 7,,psuv7 violently assaulted 
opposition legislators on ,april #af and
 ,april #cj1 #bjac1 in the ,national    
,assembly1 causing lacerations1 broken  
bones1 and other injuries to members of 
the political opposition2 ,whereas the  
,department of ,state responded to the  
violence against opposition legislators 
in ,venezuela by declaring that violence
 has no place in a representative and   
democratic system1 and is particularly  

inappropriate in the ,national          
,assembly2 ,whereas the ,secretary      
,general of the ,organization of        
,american ,states 7,,oas7 has repudiated
 the incident by stating that it        
reflects1 in a dramatic manner1 the     
absence of a political dialogue that can
 bring tranquility to the citizens and  
to the members of the different public  
powers to resolve in a peaceful climate 
and with everybody's participation the  
pending matters of the country2 ,whereas
 the ,congress of the ,republic of ,peru
 passed a resolution rejecting the use  
of violence against opposition parties  
in the ,venezuelan ,national ,assembly  
and expressing solidarity with those    
injured by the events of ,april #bjac2  
and ,whereas1 as a member of the        
,organization of ,american ,states and  
signatory to the ,inter-,american       
,democratic ,charter1 the ,bolivarian   
,government of ,venezuela has agreed to 
abide by the principles of              
constitutional1 representative          

democracy1 which include free and fair  
elections and adherence to its own      
constitution3 ,now1 therefore1 be it    
,whereas the ,constitution of the       
,bolivarian ,republic of ,venezuela     
guarantees its citizens full political  
rights1 including the right to freely   
associate for democratic political      
purposes1 and the right to a secret     
ballot through regular free1 universal1 
direct elections and referenda2 ,whereas
 the ,preamble of the ,charter of the   
,organization of ,american ,states      
affirms that 8representative democracy  
is an indispensable condition for the   
stability1 peace and development of the 
region10 and ,article #a of the         
,inter-,american ,democratic ,charter   
recognizes that 8the people of the      
,americas have a right to democracy and 
their governments have an obligation to 
promote and defend it02 ,whereas the    
,national ,electoral ,council 7,,cne7 of
 ,venezuela declared ,nicolas ,maduro to
 have been elected in ,venezuela's      

,april #ad1 #bjac1 presidential         
election1 with #ej4f percent of votes   
cast2 ,whereas the ,senate of the       
,republic of ,chile1 the ,christian     
,democratic ,organization of the        
,americas1 the ,socialist               
,international1 the ,union of ,latin    
,american parties1 and other political  
organizations in the region issued      
declarations recognizing the alleged    
irregularities documented by the        
opposition in ,venezuela and urged a    
complete audit of the election results2 
,whereas the ,supreme ,court of         
,venezuela refused to hear legal cases  
presented by the political opposition   
regarding alleged violations of         
electoral law1 and the ,,cne denied the 
opposition's request for a full and     
comprehensive audit of the election     
results that includes the review and    
comparison of voter registry log books1 
vote tallies produced by electronic     
voting machines1 and the paper receipts 
printed by electronic voting machines2  

,whereas ,venezuela's ,unified          
,democratic ,platform 7,,mud7 has       
formally requested the ,inter-,american 
,commission on ,human ,rights to conduct
 an impartial review of alleged         
violations of ,venezuelans' civic rights
 through electoral irregularities1 voter
 intimidation1 and other abuses in the  
,april #bjac elections1 and the         
,government of ,venezuela subsequently  
announced its withdrawal from the       
,inter-,american ,court on ,human       
,rights2 ,whereas1 in response to the   
political opposition's decision not to  
recognize ,nicolas ,maduro as           
,president1 legislators from opposition 
parties in ,venezuela were denied the   
right to speak and removed from key     
committees by the ,president of the     
,national ,assembly1 were violently     
assaulted by members of the ruling      
,united ,socialist ,party of ,venezuela 
7,,psuv71 and increasingly face the     
prospect of politically-motivated       
criminal charges2 ,whereas the ,congress

 of the ,republic of ,peru passed a     
resolution rejecting the use of violence
 against opposition parties in the      
,venezuelan ,national ,assembly and     
expressing solidarity with those injured
 by the events of ,april #bjac1 and the 
,department of ,state responded to the  
violence against opposition legislators 
in ,venezuela by declaring that         
8violence has no place in a             
representative and democratic system1   
and is particularly inappropriate in the
 ,national ,assembly02 ,whereas the     
,secretary ,general of the ,organization
 of ,american ,states 7,,oas7 repudiated
 the incident by stating that it        
8reflects1 in a dramatic manner1 the    
absence of a political dialogue that can
 bring tranquility to the citizens and  
to the members of the different public  
powers to resolve in a peaceful climate 
and with everybody's participation the  
pending matters of the country02 and    
,whereas1 as a member of the            
,organization of ,american ,states and  

signatory to the ,inter-,american       
,democratic ,charter1 the ,bolivarian   
,government of ,venezuela has agreed to 
abide by the principles of              
constitutional1 representative          
democracy1 which include free and fair  
elections and adherence to its own      
constitution3 ,now1 therefore1 be it    
,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 supports the   
people of ,venezuela in their pursuit of
 the free exercise of representative    
democracy in ,venezuela2  7#b7 calls for
 greater dialogue between all political 
actors in ,venezuela and strongly       
deplores the undemocratic denial of     
legitimate parliamentary rights to      
members of opposition parties in the    
,national ,assembly and the inexcusable 
violence perpetrated against opposition 
legislators inside the legislative      
chambers of ,venezuela2  7#c7 commends  
legislators from other nations in the   
,americas who have declared their       
opposition to political irregularities  
and the use of violence against         

opposition parliamentarians in          
,venezuela2  7#d7 urges the             
,organization of ,american ,states to   
issue a detailed report on any and all  
irregularities resulting from the ,april
 #ad1 #bjac1 presidential election in   
,venezuela2  7#e7 urges the ,united     
,states ,ambassador to the ,organization
 of ,american ,states to work in concert
 with other member states to use the    
full power of the organization in       
support of meaningful steps to ensure   
full parliamentary democracy and the    
rule of law in ,venezuela in accordance 
with the ,inter-,american ,democratic   
,charter1 including invoking articles   
related to unconstitutional             
interruptions of the democratic order in
 a member state2 and  7#f7 urges the    
,united ,states ,ambassador to the      
,organization of ,american ,states to   
work in concert with other member states
 to strengthen the ability of the       
,organization to protect democratic     
institutions and to respond to the      

erosion of democracy in member states4  
7#a7 supports the people of ,venezuela  
in their pursuit of the free exercise of
 representative democracy as guaranteed 
by the ,constitution of the ,bolivarian 
,republic of ,venezuela2  7#b7 deplores 
the undemocratic denial of the          
legitimate rights of opposition         
parliamentarians in ,venezuela1 the     
inexcusable violence perpetrated against
 opposition legislators inside chambers 
of the ,national ,assembly1 and the     
growing efforts to use                  
politically-motivated criminal charges  
to intimidate the country's political   
opposition2  7#c7 commends legislators  
from other countries in the ,americas   
who have declared their opposition to   
alleged electoral irregularities and    
condemned the use of violence against   
opposition parliamentarians in          
,venezuela2  7#d7 urges the ,department 
of ,state to work in concert with other 
countries in the ,americas to take      
meaningful steps to ensure the rule of  

law in ,venezuela in accordance with the
 ,inter-,american ,democratic ,charter  
and to strengthen the ability of the    
,organization of ,american ,states to   
respond to the erosion of democratic    
norms and institutions in member states2
 and  7#e7 calls for the ,united ,states
 to work with other countries in the    
hemisphere to actively encourage a      
process of dialogue between the         
,government of ,venezuela and the       
political opposition through the good   
offices of the ,organization of         
,american ,states so that the voices of 
all ,venezuelans can be taken into      
account through their country's         
constitutional institutions and free and
 fair elections4  ,amend the title so as
 to read3 ,a resolution expressing      
support for the free and peaceful       
exercise of representative democracy in 
,venezuela1 condemning violence and     
intimidation against the country's      
political opposition1 and calling for   
dialogue between all political actors in

 the country44 ,september #cj1          
#bjac,reported with an amendment and an 
amendment to the preamble and an        
amendment to the title