Caracas/Hundreds of Venezuelans marched this Tuesday in a sector of Caracas to demand elections “now” and the return of the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, in what represents the first mobilization of this type called by the leader’s party – Vente Venezuela (VV) – in the Venezuelan capital so far this year.
Opposition supporters traveled from various locations in the Libertador municipality of Caracas and the neighboring state of Miranda to attend the protest, called by VV, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the last presidential elections in the country, which, according to the opposition, its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won.
“María Corina, come, your people are present” and “Set the date, we set the votes” were two of the slogans chanted by the protesters.
The request for elections coincides with the call for the expiration of the constitutional period of the Government of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez
The request for elections coincides with the call from different NGOs and union sectors regarding the expiration of the constitutional period of the Government of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, after President Nicolás Maduro was captured in January by the United States in a military operation in Caracas.
Alexis José Castellano, a 54-year-old construction worker, told EFE that although the country is mourning the earthquakes of June 24, which left more than 5,500 dead, it is not “politically,” which is why he demanded elections and expressed his confidence that with the return of Machado there will be a change.
“María, you have to come, the people are waiting for you, the people want you to be there,” he stated.
Yamery Díaz also wants a “free Venezuela” and without “imposed authorities.” “We are waiting for her, we long for her, she is our leader of peace and, as a leader of peace, I know that she will seek the reconstruction of the entire country, the unification,” he told EFE.
The “blue tide,” as they called the march of the opponents, many of them wearing clothing the color of Vente Venezuela, shouted from the platform: “We will continue fighting for the freedom of Venezuela.”
They also sang the national anthem and observed a minute of silence for the victims of the earthquakes.
“We are waiting for her, we long for her, she is our leader of peace and, as a leader of peace, I know that she will seek the reconstruction of the entire country”
The party also claims to be holding street assemblies in the 335 municipalities of the country as a form of organization in the face of the electoral demand.
María Corina Machado, for her part, assured this Tuesday that the “transition is coming” in her country, after reiterating that Edmundo González Urrutia obtained a “victory” in the presidential elections two years ago, in which the now deposed president Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed the winner by an electoral body controlled by Chavismo that did not publish the minutes.
“Today we know what we have to do: complete the task. On July 28 (2024) we gave ourselves a mandate and we are going to fulfill it. Get up, Venezuela. The transition comes and is with the people, by the people and with our own hands,” said the Nobel Peace Prize winner in a video played during an opposition mobilization in Caracas.
Machado, out of the country since December of last year, said that two years ago Venezuela “changed forever” by achieving what he described as “the greatest electoral victory” in its history.
“It was an ethical and existential victory, the truth won, the good won. Finishing the task has been long and very painful, we all know it, the regime has exposed itself in its nature, in its essence, they persecuted us, tortured us, humiliated us, murdered us,” he denounced.
“Faced with the catastrophe of the earthquakes, it was the people who saved the people. With a torn soul, the country activated itself to help however it could”
In his opinion, on June 24, when the two powerful earthquakes occurred that left more than 5,500 dead, the Chavista Government confirmed “what they are, their total lack of humanity and compassion.”
“In the face of the tragedy, the people responded again, like that July 28 two years ago. In the face of the catastrophe of the earthquakes, it was the people who saved the people. With a torn soul, the country activated itself to help however it could,” he said.
The mobilization included hundreds of Venezuelans who demanded elections “now” and the return of the opposition leader.
The claim coincides with the call from different NGOs and union sectors regarding the expiration of the constitutional period of the Government of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, after President Nicolás Maduro was captured in January by the United States in a military operation in Caracas.
Machado, who spent months in hiding until December, when he left for Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said after the earthquakes that he would return to the country but, later, he denounced that the Rodríguez Government closed his airspace to prevent his return.
In a statement released Sunday, he reiterated that he will return.
Next Saturday a dialogue begins between Chavismo and an opposition sector led by former deputy Dinorah Figuera, who recently said that Machado is “very important in this process.”
According to Figuera, the goal is a “peaceful and democratic electoral transition.”
