CARACAS.- The presidential elections on July 28 represent “the last episode” of hope to recover democracy in Venezuela, and is represented by opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has achieved popular support that had not been seen in many years throughout the country. Latin America.
Two months before the elections, Machado, who after being disqualified by the regime from holding public office for 15 years, offered her support to the presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, continues to expose her strength “until the end”, committed to leading that country to free elections.
Francisco Santos, vice president of Colombia during the government of Álvaro Uribe, in an interview with DIARIO LAS AMERICAS He assured that the dictatorship never imagined the leadership that the opposition leader would achieve, “which has intensely raised the price of Maduro and his court not taking this election seriously, whether they try to steal it or not do it.”
The professional journalist and analyst maintained that the leadership and wave of support that María Corina has achieved is the only hope left for Venezuelans, “and the possibility of overthrowing the dictatorship and recovering democracy in that country. “The only one who can get Maduro out is her.”
In this context, he asserted that if the dictator Nicolás Maduro decides not to recognize that popular fervor on July 28, “a social revolution will be generated that will cause the destruction of what little remains in Venezuela, and the country would face the worst scenario that we can imagine.”
Given the presumption of a possible arrest or attack against Machado by the Chavista regime, Santos emphasized that it would be a “huge mistake” to do something against the opposition leader. “The best thing they could do is protect her, because if something were to happen to her, it would cause an uncontrollable social outbreak.”
The former Colombian ambassador to the United States also recalled that the Venezuelan opposition has had similar moments, although not as strong and impressive as the one it has now with the leader of Vente Venezuela, but that in his opinion they had not been seen in Venezuela since the time of the late ruler Hugo Chávez.
“The first, when Henrique Capriles won the presidential elections over Nicolás Maduro in 2013 with an immense majority, but was not able to defend the result in the streets, and the other was the unprecedented electoral victory that the opposition obtained in the parliamentary elections of 2015, with which Juan Guaidó was appointed interim president,” he highlighted.
United opposition
Santos said that the Venezuelan opposition united in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) is more united than ever around the candidacy of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who after being chosen as a unitary candidate to face Maduro, has a voting intention that exceeds 60%, according to national opinion polls.
Since he assumed the opposition candidacy on April 19, due to the disqualification of María Corina Machado that prevents her from participating in the upcoming electoral process, the 74-year-old diplomat has received the support of more than 20 opposition political organizations, consolidating unity and a unique opportunity to defeat Maduro and remove him from power.
Furthermore, his candidacy has been internationally recognized as the only opposition alternative among 9 other candidates who are part of parties accused of collaborating with Chavismo, known as “scorpions.”
Despite the threats and siege of the regime and not being the presidential candidate (formally), Machado is touring Venezuela looking for support for González Urrutia, filling the streets with hope as she passes through different states that had been affected. to Chavismo and have suffered the Venezuelan crisis for the last 25 years, under that system.
Negotiated transition
The former Colombian vice president explained that a political transition in Venezuela “goes through a negotiation between María Corina Machado and the Chavista leadership headed by Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and the brothers Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez, who intend to consolidate power for six more years.
“To achieve a transition in Venezuela, María Corina will have to negotiate the departure of Maduro and his entourage. The decision to have fairly free and transparent elections depends on clear guarantees that those in power will be able to leave and will not be persecuted,” she explained.
Santos added that if this panorama is not clear, “they will not accept the results of the elections, which will generate a social explosion, and in parallel the migration of the more than 8 million Venezuelans who have been forced to seek better living conditions will be accentuated.” life in other countries.
However, the path will not be easy; While the Machado-González duo claims to be prepared and committed to leading a transition towards democracy in the country, the regime discards the idea of a possible peaceful solution, confirming that there are no intentions to hand over power.
Mature without support
In that sense, the Colombian politician expressed that one of the most important incentives to recover democracy in Venezuela is that at this moment Maduro does not have the same support from his international allies. “Although he has Iran, China, Russia and Cuba and the support of armed groups like the ELN and the FARC, he is alone and that unique weakness is evident,” he explained.
On the other hand, the obstacles that the Maduro regime has placed on the opposition in the face of the presidential elections have been condemned by democratic allies in the region, who expressed their concern and demanded a free and transparent electoral process in Venezuela.
Two of Maduro’s most faithful allies, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and that of Brazil, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed strong criticism of the impediment to the nomination before the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Corina Yoris, chosen as a replacement. initially by Machado.
@Lydr05
Source: INTERVIEW
