§ 9701. Findings; sense of Congress in support of the Interim President of Venezuela

• (a) Congress makes the following findings:
  • (1) Venezuela’s electoral event on May 20, 2018 was characterized by widespread fraud and did not comply with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.
  • (2) Given the fraudulent nature of Venezuela’s May 20, 2018 electoral event, Nicolás Maduro’s tenure as President of Venezuela ended on January 10, 2019 .
  • (3) The National Assembly of Venezuela approved a resolution on January 15, 2019 that terminated Nicolás Maduro’s authority as the President of Venezuela.
  • (4) On January 23, 2019 , the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela was sworn in as the Interim President of Venezuela.
• (b) It is the sense of Congress—
  • (1) to support the decisions by the United States Government, more than 50 governments around the world, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Parliament to recognize National Assembly President Juan Guaidó as the Interim President of Venezuela;
  • (2) to encourage the Interim President of Venezuela to advance efforts to hold democratic presidential elections in the shortest possible period; and
  • (3) that the Organization of American States, with support from the United States Government and partner governments, should provide diplomatic, technical, and financial support for a new presidential election in Venezuela that complies with international standards for a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.