MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is eager to deepen its cooperation with the Venezuelan authorities after an opposition coalition won a majority in the recent parliamentary election, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Following Sunday's election, Venezuela’s Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition won 112 of the 167 seats in the national parliament, while President Nicolas Maduro’s United Socialist Party secured just 55. Before the election, the president’s party had been in power for 16 years.
"For our part, Russia is very eager to deepen multifaceted cooperation and further develop [our] strategic partnership with friendly Venezuela," the ministry said in a statement published on its official website.
It was noted in the statement that the Venezuelan elections had been carried out in "a peaceful and calm environment and in strict correspondence with the provisions of the Constitution." The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Venezuelan authorities and the new parliament would find constitutional forms of productive cooperation for the benefit of the country and its people.
In 2014, a series of protests began in Venezuela due to high levels of violence, inflation, and shortages of basic goods in the country. The Venezuelan government accused the opposition of coup attempts and arrested a number of its leaders.
