Guyanese business association concerned with abandonment of democratic principles in Venezuela

See the full statement issued by the PSC below:

The Private Sector Commission of Guyana (PSC) takes note of the situation in Venezuela following  the recent General Election and the Resolution adopted by the Organization of American States  (OAS), affirming our hemisphere’s commitment to uphold democracy, human rights, the peaceful  resolution of conflicts, and respect for international law.

The Commission further wishes to recognise and emphasise, as does the OAS resolution, Article  3 of the Inter-American Charter, which commits to “the holding of periodic free and fair elections  based on secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of the  people.”

The Commission, therefore, wishes to express its deep concern over the evident abandonment  of these democratic principles, the violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of  the Venezuelan people, and the political and economic instability this threatens in our region as  a result of the declared outcomes of the Venezuelan Elections by the Government of Venezuela.

The PSC firmly condemns the repression and violence being inflicted upon the Venezuelan people  in their legitimate pursuit and demand for democracy and the rule of law to prevail in their own  country.

The Commission, therefore, appeals to all the member countries of the Caribbean community of  nations who value the practice of democracy and the holding of free and fair elections in their  own countries, to join hands and, with one voice, express their solidarity with the people of  Venezuela in their appeal for an impartial international verification of the true results of their  general elections.