Venezuela Opposition Leader Maria Corina Joins Protest As Thousands Rally Against Election Results
On Saturday, thousands of supporters gathered in the capital, rallying behind Machado, who they believe was the true winner of the presidential election by a substantial margin, Al Jazeera reports.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has emerged from hiding to join the growing protests in Caracas, challenging the disputed election results.
On Saturday, thousands of supporters gathered in the capital, rallying behind Machado, who they believe was the true winner of the presidential election by a substantial margin, Al Jazeera reports.
“Just as it took us a long time to achieve electoral victory, now comes a stage that we take day by day, but we have never been as strong as today, never,” Machado told her supporters in Caracas.
The Venezuelan electoral authority, accused of bias towards the ruling party, declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s election with 51 percent of the vote compared to 46 percent for opposition candidate Edmundo González. This result has sparked widespread allegations of fraud and protests.
Machado’s public appearance was met with enthusiastic chants and singing from her supporters, who had gathered after she disclosed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that she had been in hiding due to threats against her.
“I am happy because I am here with María Corina, supporting Venezuela to escape this terrible injustice,” Yamilet Rondon, 42, told Reuters as she waved a Venezuelan flag.
Protests also took place in other cities such as Valencia, Maracaibo, and San Cristóbal. “I came to this march with some fear, but it is our struggle,” said preschool teacher Susana Martínez, 42, at a rally in Valencia.
Meanwhile, President Maduro has called his supporters to a “mother of all marches” in Caracas. Alfredo Valera, president of Venezuela’s Fontur union, said, “Today, we are here heeding the call of our president … to defend democracy.”
Venezuela’s Maduro regime has intensified its crackdown on opposition protests, denouncing them as a US-supported coup attempt.
The crackdown has resulted in the detention of hundreds of opposition supporters and at least 20 reported deaths amidst the ensuing violence, according to Human Rights Watch.
As tensions escalate, the Organization of American States has appealed for calm and an end to political violence. Meanwhile, a diplomatic rift has emerged, with countries like the US and Argentina recognizing opposition leader González as the rightful election winner, citing “overwhelming evidence,” while nations including Russia, China, and Cuba have extended congratulations to Maduro.
