MARACAIBO. – The warmth of Maracaibo, Zulia state (northwest) welcomes this Tuesday, July 23, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Corina Machadowith a large deployment of the so-called “freedom caravan”, with which the unitary candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, will close the electoral campaign in the interior of the country in view of the elections on July 28.
“We have managed to unite the country in a movement for liberation. Ours is a movement to achieve the transformation of Venezuela in peace, order, justice and respect,” Machado said in statements to the press from the headquarters of the Comando Con Venezuela in the former oil capital of the country.
With these statements, the opposition leader discredits the recent statements of the ruler Nicolás Maduro, who in recent days has hinted at the possibility of a military uprising, a civil war or a “bloodbath” if the opposition wins, as estimated by the most reliable opinion polls.
“Those threats no longer scare anyone. The Armed Forces are the last institution that would like a conflict here. The Armed Forces do not want to shoot at each other, or at the people, and they are now clear that the government of Edmundo González, a transitional government of State and orders, is the one that represents stability and peace. And that is why this next government will vote,” he said.
Without witnesses
Machado also denounced before the Venezuelan people and the international community that the National Electoral Council (CNE)at the service of the regime, 100 hours before the presidential elections, prevents the accreditation of the witnesses of the unitary candidate to prevent them from carrying out the work of supervising the electoral process from Friday, July 26, when the voting tables enabled for July 28 will be installed.
The opposition member recalled that the majority opposition, represented by the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), submitted the nominations of 99% of the witnesses and substitutes, despite the obstacles imposed by the governing body. However, one month after this process was carried out, they have not received the credentials to supervise the elections.
“When they saw that we were overcoming all these obstacles, they went so far as to prevent accreditation and credentials. It is time for public opinion and Venezuelans to exert all the pressure because it is our right to be there and ensure that the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans who are going to vote for us Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia “I can defend every vote, we can count vote by vote and ensure that this victory for real change is achieved as established by law,” he said.
Arrival in Zulia
With just five days to go before the electoral process, in which González Urrutia leads by more than 20 points, according to polls, Nicolás Maduro, who is seeking his second re-election, western Venezuela took to the streets to show its support for Machado’s leadership and the opposition candidate.
“We want freedom, we want freedom,” is the cry of hundreds of citizens who have left their homes in the most remote and humble areas of the states of Lara and Zulia to make way for the opposition caravan, led by Machado, to its destination: the land of the beloved sun.
Without any call from the political leadership, the Venezuelans who have taken to the streets make it clear that “they were not forced,” as they repeatedly repeat throughout the tour. The objective of their accompaniment is clear: to prevent the government of Nicolás Maduro from placing obstacles that prevent the opposition from entering Maracaibo.
After 4:00 pm, the opposition leader, along with press teams and leaders who accompanied her, crossed the Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, known as the Bridge over Lake Maracaibo, which was heavily guarded by members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), who enabled a single lane for the passage of vehicles.
Source: Alliance The National and Las Americas Newspaper
