DISINFO: Following the European logic with regard to Venezuela, Marine Le Pen could proclaim herself president of France
SUMMARY
European powers are announcing new ultimatums to the authorities of Venezuela. For example, Emmanuel Macron is demanding Maduro to call new elections and leave the office. The current President of France has a popular rating of 28 %. And the numbers of people who are protesting his policies in the streets are no smaller than in Venezuela. According to this logic, Marine Le Pen could also proclaim herself the president.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative constructed around the rhetorical strategy of "whataboutism" - deflecting attention from a certain issue by making counter-accusations. Emmanuel Macron is the democratically elected president of France. Nicolas Maduro was officially re-elected president of Venezuela on May 20, 2018. Several Venezuelan NGOs, such as Foro Penal Venezolano, Súmate, Voto Joven, the Venezuelan Electoral Observatory and the Citizen Electoral Network, expressed their concern over the irregularities of the electoral schedule, including the lack of the Constituent Assembly's competencies to summon the elections, impeding participation of opposition political parties, and the lack of time for standard electoral functions. After that the European Union, the Organization of American States, the Lima Group, Australia and the United States expressed concerns on electoral process. In the declaration on behalf of the EU on the situation in Venezuela the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini reiterated that the presidential elections last May in Venezuela were neither free, fair, nor credible, lacking democratic legitimacy. The EU has called for the urgent holding of free, transparent and credible presidential elections in Venezuela. Food shortages, poverty and hyperinflation (which according to the IMF estimates is about to reach over 10 million % based on the average consumer prices) have generated a wave of 3 millions refugees from Venezuela and the protests in Venezuela itself, when President of the National Assembly of Venezuela Juan Guido stepped in as an interim president on the basis of the Venezuelan Constitution. Read more here.