The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is deeply concerned about the latest attempt to undermine Venezuela’s National Assembly and urges the Venezuelan authorities to fully respect the Assembly’s integrity. The IPU expresses grave concern about statements from high-ranking Venezuelan officials indicating that parliamentary elections might be organized on 22 April 2018, thereby effectively cutting short the term of the current National Assembly, which is due to expire in January 2021.
Press releases
The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians condemns the exclusion and repression of opposition MPs in the lead-up to critical elections in Cambodia and Venezuela, and the pattern of intimidation against opposition parties worldwide. The IPU Committee, during a recent meeting, adopted decisions on 18 cases of violations against 252 MPs in 14 countries. A majority of these cases concerned opposition MPs.
An international gathering of MPs has called for renewed momentum to conclude international trade negotiations that foster sustainable development, known as the Doha Development Round. The parliamentarians urged all WTO Members to show flexibility and the willingness to compromise in order to conclude this trade round that has already lasted too long. Over 500 participants, including some 220 MPs from 56 countries, attended the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO from 9-10 December in Buenos Aires, which preceded the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference.
Human rights abuses against parliamentarians reached a new high in 2017, according to Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) statistics. Parliamentarians from Cambodia, Maldives, Turkey and Venezuela alone, where the political situation has been worsening in recent times, account for 35% of the cases. Cases of abuses against women MPs have also reached a record number this year, having tripled since 2014. El Salvador, Turkey and Venezuela account for this year’s huge increase.
The IPU notes with satisfaction the groundbreaking decision of the Mongolian government to make publicly available records related to the investigation into the 1998 assassination of Zorig Sanjasuuren, an MP and pro-democracy leader. The decision to declassify the majority of the judicial records and evidence was taken as a result of recent actions by the IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, and a request from the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Mr. Ts Nyamdorj.
Young MPs from 51 countries have defined a youth-centred action plan that promotes inclusive democratic and socioeconomic policies for all. More than 120 young men and women MPs who attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU) Fourth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Ottawa, Canada, on 17-18 November, took a united approach to end exclusion and marginalization of young people.
More than 130 young MPs from all around the world, attending the Fourth Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, will identify solutions to present-day democratic, economic and social divides and lay the groundwork for more inclusive economic and social policies that leave no one behind.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) strongly condemns the ruling by Cambodia's Supreme Court to dissolve the country’s main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and to ban 118 senior CNRP members from political life for five years, including 53 out of the 66 CNRP parliamentarians. The decision is based on recent amendments to the Law on Political Parties which are at odds with the right to freedom of association and the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs under the Cambodian Constitution and international law.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) expresses concern over the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to request that the Constituent Assembly remove the parliamentary immunity of Mr. Freddy Guevara, Deputy, First Vice-President of the National Assembly of Venezuela.
Parliamentarians from 155 countries have committed to pursuing cultural pluralism and peace through interfaith and inter-ethnic dialogue. In a declaration issued at the close of the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly (#IPU137) in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, IPU Member Parliaments have called for transparency, accountability and respect for human rights and the rule of law to serve as the basis for building sustainable and peaceful diversity.