The Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado launched a powerful video message addressed to the nation, in a context of growing political tension with the Chavista regime of Nicolás Maduro. In his spot, published with the slogan #HastaElFinal, the former deputy challenged the accusations of “treason to the country” by Chavismo, warning that such terms should only apply when citizens stand idly by in the face of oppression.
“Let them accuse us of treason when we believe that there is nothing more to fight for, when we resign ourselves to seeing how injustice crushes those who dream, when we stop believing that this country is going to be free”Machado warns in a sequence of images of opposition demonstrations for the elections of July 28 in Venezuela. “Let them condemn us for betraying the country when we do not feel the same pain, the same rage and above all, the same love for this land where we were born”says the political leader who supported the presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia.
“But I tell you a thousand times: we are not going to give you that pleasure, because resigning ourselves would be betraying the country, and we are going to defend it until the end.”says Machado in his spot, broadcast a few days after the Venezuelan opposition called a “huge” global protest on December 1 to reject the presidential re-election of Nicolás Maduro, who will take office in January after being proclaimed the winner by the Chavista Electoral Council without presenting detailed scrutiny of the votes and amid growing allegations of fraud.
The opposition claims that it has solid evidence of electoral fraud, including 80% of the vote count reports that would prove González Urrutia’s victory. This evidence was disclosed on a website, which generated a wave of protests that, according to figures from human rights organizations, resulted in 28 deaths, 200 injuries and more than 2,400 detainees. The protests were repressed with a “repressive wave” that forced several opposition leaders, including Machado, to take refuge in hiding, while González Urrutia went into exile in Spain.
Machado maintains that the call for the protest on December 1, which will be “unique and unprecedented,” seeks mobilize not only Venezuelans within the country, but also the international communitycalling for a day of global solidarity with the resistance to the oppression of the Chavista regime. And he affirmed that this mobilization will be only the beginning of a cycle of “firmer” and “more decisive” actions.
González Urrutia has promised that he will be sworn in as president of Venezuela on January 10, the date on which Chavismo is scheduled to ratify Maduro in power. “We are fightingwe are taking our voice, the voice of all Venezuelans abroad. We have come from a very successful tour of several European capitals, we were in Portugal, Italy, and Brussels and in all of them we have found great receptivity to our approaches,” indicated González Urrutia.
The opposition also hopes that international pressure on the Maduro regime will increase after the recognition of González Urrutia as “elected president” by countries such as the United States, Italy and Ecuador. The lack of transparency in the electoral process and the violations of human rights are some of the main points that they seek to highlight in their fight for democracy and freedom in Venezuela.
Last Wednesday, Machado also made a called on Venezuelan citizens to remain “attentive, alert and focused” in the face of upcoming events that could mark the political future of the country.
“I want to ask you to be ready to do what is appropriate when the right moment arrives.“, he expressed in a message recorded and broadcast on the social network
In his publication, Machado reaffirmed the solidity of the popular mandate that was ratified by voters on July 28, 2024, during the presidential elections in the that Edmundo González Urrutia was elected president, and categorically rejected the efforts of the Nicolás Maduro regime to discredit that result.
“The popular and sovereign mandate of July 28 is irreversible. Nobody can erase it“, stated Machado when supporting the legitimacy of the electoral process and claiming the victory of the opposition against what he considered an illegitimate regime.
The former deputy did not hesitate to point out that the Maduro dictatorship, despite having the support of the Armed forces and the powers of the State, is using its “brute force” to try to maintain control of the country. According to her, these types of actions reflect Chavismo’s fear of inevitable defeat. “They know that their exit is getting closer every day and that it is impossible to stop this town when it rises.“, he stated, alluding to the growing popular rejection of the Chavista regime.
He also called on the unity of the Venezuelan people remembering that January 10 is the date established by the Constitution of Venezuela for the change of government, an event that according to her, will take place despite Maduro’s attempts to remain in power.
In his message, he expressed his confidence that citizen mobilization and international pressure They will play a key role in ensuring compliance with the popular will. “The next few weeks precede the fulfillment of the promise of freedom that God has made to man and that we have ratified among brothers”, he stated.
Despite the repression and obstacles imposed by the Maduro regime, the opposition leader affirmed that the liberation of Venezuela It is a reality that will materialize in the near future, and that the people are getting closer to achieving the justice they long for.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
