Reading yesterday about the victory of the left in Mexico, I came across a statement issued by Marcelo Ebrard, next foreign minister of that country, where he affirms that his government will not intervene in the crises that Nicaragua and Venezuela are going through. It is not by chance that he makes special mention of two countries with which the new government of Mexico has igeological affinity. It is not a secret that they commune with the socialists who have destroyed Venezuela and with those who are massacring the Nicaraguans, but aware of the negative effects that this could have on the levels of acceptance, the decision to sit idle is based on respect for sovereignty and the principle of self-determination of peoples.

Being consistent with their comrades, the new government of Mexico is only repeating the same arguments already fed up by the Venezuelan government. The eternal argument of those who now hold power in Venezuela before any pronouncement or action coming from external factors (organizations or governments), is that, based on the principle of sovereignty, no one can intervene in the internal affairs of a country. They seem to want to reduce the concept of sovereignty to a useless figure that, if we condescend in that way of understanding it, would only serve as a trick to commit any kind of atrocity without anyone saying or doing anything. It is something that even goes against the logic if we interpret in a correct way what is really the sovereignty and the principle of self-determination of the peoples.

Jean Bodin, in his book The 6 Books of the Commonwealth (1576), argues that sovereignty is the absolute power of a Republic and that the sovereign is the one who has the power of decision. This definition seems timely, since it is limited to giving a clear and concise idea about what sovereignty is, but it does not indicate who is or should be the sovereign. Sovereignty is the quality of sovereign, and the sovereign is the one who has the power to change or maintain the course of a nation without there being any other authority above it. Historically, the condition of sovereign has gone from being assumed by the king to being assumed by the people. In the monarchies, who had the absolute power was the king and there was no authority over him. Today, who assumes the role of sovereign is the people and the authorities are theoretically an expression of their will. It is the people who decide in elections who will form the government, which will be obliged to protect their interests.

A clear example of this is seen in Article 5 of the Venezuelan Constitution: Sovereignty resides untransferable in the people, who exercise it directly in the manner provided for in this Constitution and in the law, and indirectly, by suffrage, through the organs exercising Public Power. The organs of the State emanate from and are subject to the sovereignty of the people

The principle of self-determination is linked to that of sovereignty. It is no more than the right of peoples to decide their future without being imposed by any other authority, but when we speak of "another authority" we do not refer only to a foreign authority but also to a national authority. This is why the doctrine has developed an internal concept and an external one of the principle of self-determination. The principle of self-determination can be violated not only by foreign governments but also by the national government by preventing citizens from expressing their will freely in an election.

In Venezuela there is no sovereignty nor is the principle of self-determination in force. In Venezuela there is a tyranny that prevents us from taking them out of power institutionally. All branches of public power are kidnapped and work not to defend the interests of what would theoretically be the sovereign, but to defend the interests of those who violate our human rights. To intervene on behalf of that people who are prevented from expressing their will, far from violating sovereignty and the principle of self-determination, would help to restore it.

It is the government that violates our sovereignty and our right to self-determination.