Venezuela on Friday angrily rejected its suspension from the South American economic bloc Mercosur, the harshest international punishment yet for President Nicolas Maduro's crisis-racked government. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay have informed the leftist government in Caracas that it is being suspended for failing to meet democratic and trade standards, a Brazilian government source said Thursday.
"Venezuela does not recognize this null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying MERCOSUR," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez tweeted. Although Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012, the other members complain it has yet to ratify a number of rules governing trade, politics, democracy and human rights.
Venezuela's neighbours are also becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil exporter. Maduro's critics blame him for an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting. The opposition accuses the deeply unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking its efforts to remove him constitutionally.
Venezuela has been hit hard by the plunge in global prices for its crucial crude oil exports since mid-2014, pummeling the government's socialist economic model. Although not explicitly linked to the country's crisis, Mercosur's move Thursday represented the most significant gesture by a foreign entity against Maduro's leadership since tensions deepened this year.
Venezuela said it had filed a complaint with Mercosur's dispute resolution system in the face of "harassment" and "attacks." Tensions between Maduro's government and its Mercosur partners were exacerbated with the election of Mauricio Macri as president of Argentina in 2015 and the replacement of Brazil's impeached former president Dilma Rousseff with Michel Temer.
Both right-leaning leaders replaced leftist presidents. Their arrival marked a turning of the so-called "pink tide" of leftist leaders in Latin America that began in 1999 with the appearance of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez. The region is undergoing a political shake-up as many countries - including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela - struggle with recessions triggered by a plunge in global prices for their commodity exports.
Mercosur's founding members took over its rotating presidency in September to block Venezuela from the post. But in a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it is still the group's president. Rodriguez said Venezuela "will continue exercising the legitimate presidency (of Mercosur) and will participate with the right to speak and vote in all the meetings as a state party." Argentina takes over the presidency in mid-December, which could give it a platform for further attacks against Venezuela.