Venezuela’s opposition leader calls for international support

María Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement, denounced the repressive tactics of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at an event on Monday. Machado promoted cooperation between Venezuela and other democracies on the international stage and shared his plans to crack down on organized crime in the country.

In October 2023, Machado won an opposition-run presidential primary that won 93% support from an electorate of 2.4 million voters. In January, however, the highest court in the country support a ban – enforced by Maduro’s government – on her running for public office.

The event was hosted by the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and moderated by Larry Diamond BA ’74, MA ’78, Ph.D. ’90, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs, Senior Fellow and Professor of Political Science and Sociology.

Machado, who joined the Zoom discussion from an undisclosed location in Venezuela, was the main architect of Edmundo González Urrutia’s victory in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.

Maduro has been president since 2013, when he took office in early elections following the death of former President Hugo Chávez. Maduro, a socialist dictator, has suppressed political dissent and seized control of the checks and balances of the Venezuelan government during his time as president. His “chavista” or socialist policies caused hyperinflation, widespread food shortages and failing health systems. If Maduro steps down, Urrutia will be inaugurated on January 10.

After being banned from the 2023 presidential election, Machado focused on strengthening the country’s opposition democratic party. The campaign for the party was a movement “owned by the people” that “overcame a fierce repression,” Machado said Monday. Maduro’s control over state institutions had made social media ads, posters and TV appearances unnecessary.

“Against all expectations, overcoming every kind of obstacle and challenge, (Venezuelan’s democratic opposition party) managed to achieve a huge victory in the July 28 presidential election,” Machado said. “It was an unprecedented and unexpected victory. The end result of this process is certainly existential for the Venezuelan people.”

To coordinate the campaign in the months leading up to the election, Machado led the creation of 600,000—referring to the 600,000 volunteers the opposition hoped to muster—a network that connected supporters of the opposition movement. The 600K network includes election monitors, coordinators and workers responsible for “transmitting, in real time, continuously, what is happening (regarding) the (election) process,” Machado said.

Machado also oversaw the establishment of “comanditos,” small watchdog groups throughout Venezuela who observed voting centers during the election period and ensured that ballots were properly collected and registered. The comanditos network, composed of more than a million volunteers, allowed the opposition to check Urrutia’s victory, despite Maduro’s claim as the rightful winner of the election.

On Tuesday, the US government officially recognized Urrutia’s presidential victory.

“The Venezuelan people spoke loudly on July 28 and made Edmundo Gonzalez president-elect. Democracy demands respect for the will of the electorate,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on X.

If the United States can continue to appreciate the importance and help facilitate a peaceful transition of power, “Venezuela will represent the main opportunity for democracy in the Americas,” Machado said.

Machado hopes to discourage emigration by improving citizens’ quality of life, reducing organized crime by minimizing Venezuela’s notoriety as a “safe haven territory for international agents retiring from their home countries” and “taking advantage of the huge potential of the country’s energy resources” , Machado said.

Machado outlined four dimensions of a comprehensive plan for Venezuela’s role on the international stage, which he hopes to implement if Urrutia is not prevented from ascending to the presidency in January. Dimensions include engaging in diplomacy that acknowledges Maduro’s corruption, a transnational law enforcement system to curb drug trafficking in Venezuela, facilitating the intervention of the International Criminal Court in the prosecution of corrupt officials, and ensuring impartial international media coverage of the situation to counter corruption. of state news institutions.

While Machado is willing to “do what is necessary” to achieve success in foreign policy, she said the country must “have the commitment of the international community to move from joint statements to joint actions. This is a time to put them back together.”

For Marcelo Peña ’25, the event’s coordinator, Machado is “a beacon of hope for all of Latin America.”

“Democracy is hard to preserve and in a place where it has been lost like Venezuela, these amazing fighters like María Corina and the opposition movement are truly inspiring,” he said. “For me, it was amazing to see how he didn’t hide. (She) had a message of hope that really resonated with me.”

Diamond said Machado is “one of the many extraordinary and incredibly courageous democratic leaders in this world at this time of great trial for democracy.” Machado “was with (her) people and remained in (her) country to represent the aspirations of freedom in times of maximum existential danger for (Venezuela),” Diamond said.

Machado emphasized the importance of young people in the struggle for liberation from Maduro’s rule and, consequently, for democracy.

“A country that was divided, hopeless and demonized has turned into this vibrant society yearning and fighting for democracy and freedom,” Machado said. “We decided to get in touch. We decided to listen, to understand, to heal and, I would say, most importantly, to trust each other.”