Venezuela restores full rights at Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly

At the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, Venezuela has officially restored its full membership rights. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced that the Venezuelan legislature, representing the 2026-2031 term, has regained its right to participate in deliberations and exercise voting power. This reinstatement follows strategic discussions held in September with IPU Secretary-General Anda Filip, ending a period of exclusion attributed to political polarization.

The Venezuelan delegation includes Second Vice President Grecia Colmenares, along with lawmakers Saúl Ortega and José Gregorio Correa. They are participating in various IPU organs, including the Committee on Human Rights for Parliamentarians and forums for women and youth.

Concurrently, Vietnamese Vice President of the National Assembly Nguyen Hong Dien is attending the assembly to promote parliamentary diplomacy. Dien held bilateral meetings with IPU officials and leaders from Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Laos. He proposed three key areas for inter-parliamentary cooperation: enhancing citizen participation in governance, increasing transparency and accountability to bridge the gap between commitments and results, and ensuring science and technology serve human needs.