Venezuela holds inauguration ceremony at Mercosur.

Do World Opera - The Venezuelan government stated this Friday (08/05) that the country is officially assuming the temporary Presidency of Mercosur and denounced what it called a "boycott" by Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina against its leadership of the bloc.

This Friday, an event was held at the Yellow House, headquarters of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Caracas, to raise the Mercosur flag. According to the government, the ceremony marks the beginning of the country's presidency of the bloc, although there is no official decision from the other member countries on the matter so far.

According to the text, Nicolás Maduro's government also rejects "the boycott undertaken by the tripartite alliance of the governments of Argentina, Paraguay and the interim government of Brazil to impede the normal development of the Venezuelan Presidency at the head of the Southern Common Market".

According to the bloc's rules, Venezuela should assume the presidency of the organization within the next six months, but Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina oppose the inauguration, arguing that the country is experiencing political and economic problems and does not meet the requirements to lead Mercosur.

Uruguay, for its part, has expressed its support for Venezuelans assuming the presidency of the bloc.

Tension surrounding the impasse has increased since last Friday (July 29th), when the Uruguay announced the end during his time leading the bloc. On the same day, Venezuela forwarded note The foreign ministries of Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina were informed that, from that date, it would assume leadership of Mercosur.

This Thursday (04/08), the Brazilian Foreign Minister, José Serra, said that he hopes for a "negotiated" solution to resolve the impasse surrounding the Presidency of the organization.  

Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina are advocating for the formation of a commission of ambassadors from the member countries to "informally" lead Mercosur until the end of the year, when the Venezuelan term should end and the Argentine term in the bloc's rotating presidency should begin.

"Venezuela is not in a position to assume leadership, firstly because it has not yet fulfilled the requirements of Mercosur, and secondly because it imagines that Mercosur should operate in Caracas. It is entirely utopian to imagine this possibility," Serra told reporters after a meeting with representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in Montevideo.

Diplomats met in the Uruguayan capital to discuss a possible solution for the bloc, but there was no progress regarding the future leadership of the organization. Another meeting between the foreign ministers will take place in the next 15 days.

The countries maintain differences regarding the interpretation of the protocol for the transfer of the Mercosur mandate, addressed in the Treaty of Asunción and the Protocol of Ouro Preto (1994).

The guidelines in the documents state that "the presidency of the Common Market Council will be exercised by rotation among the member states, in alphabetical order, for a period of six months."

While Venezuela believes the transition process is automatic, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina argue that there should be a consensus among the states, as well as a formal meeting to effect the handover.

Opposition leadership in Brazil

The opposition leadership in the Brazilian Federal Senate issued a statement on Friday condemning the "attempt to export the Brazilian coup to Mercosur," specifically regarding the refusal to allow Venezuela to assume the presidency of the bloc.

“The interim government of Brazil is lying when it claims that the presidency is vacant and that prior agreement from other states would be necessary for Venezuela, which is fully enjoying its prerogatives as a State Party and would succeed Uruguay, to assume the presidency. There is not a single decision from the Common Market Council to authorize or validate this automatic rotation. None. Nothing, absolutely nothing,” the senators state.

The leadership points out that the decision, which it considers "undemocratic and illegal," will cause an "indelible scar on Mercosur" and create an "extremely dangerous precedent that could implode the integration process." "It is possible, however, that this is the ultimate goal of Brazil's illegitimate government, which has never hidden its contempt for Mercosur," it says.

Finally, the opposition leadership appeals “to the common sense and democratic spirit of the Mercosur authorities, so that this unfortunate decision may be reviewed and that understanding and democratic dialogue may prevail in order to overcome the internal conflict in Venezuela and for the integration process to continue respecting its legal framework and its cornerstone: democracy.”