Venezuela opposition renews support for Maria Corina Machado as leader

Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-left caret-rightNews|ElectionsVenezuela opposition renews support for Maria Corina Machado as leaderThe exiled Nobel laureate has petitioned for new elections in Venezuela and for the country to allow her return.

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No domingo, membros da Plataforma Democrática Unida (PUD) da oposição concordaram em uma reunião em Caracas em “reconhecer e apoiar a liderança de Maria Corina Machado”.

The coalition also renewed its demand for free elections in Venezuela, following a series of contested presidential votes in 2024 and 2018.

Sunday’s statement included 14 proposals for a democratic transition, including freedom for political parties, the release of all political prisoners and the safe return of those who went into exile.

The announcement also increases pressure on authorities to allow Machado’s return. She has been living in exile since leaving Venezuela last December to receive her Nobel Prize.

Venezuela has yet to declare a date for a new presidential vote. Since January 3, the country has been led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez of the long-governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Líderes do PSUV foram acusados de cometer abusos de direitos humanos contra dissidentes políticos, incluindo prisão arbitrária, encarceramento e tortura.

Still, after the United States launched a military operation to abduct and jail former President Nicolas Maduro, the PSUV has remained in power with the support of the White House.

US President Donald Trump has backed Rodriguez’s leadership, despite her having been Maduro’s vice president.

Sua administração manteve um papel ativo na Venezuela, exercendo controle sobre seus recursos petrolíferos e pressionando o governo de Rodríguez por reformas.

Mas os críticos apontam que Trump tem sido relutante em pressionar Rodriguez por novas eleições, optando em vez disso por um plano de três fases que se concentra primeiro em estabilizar o país e a recuperação econômica antes de buscar uma transição política.

Machado, meanwhile, has told The Financial Times she would like to see Venezuela hold elections by July next year.

Venezuelan authorities blocked Machado’s repeated attempts to return to the country, according to her party, Vente Venezuela.

Machado também teria tentado pedir à administração Trump ajuda para reentrar na Venezuela.

Separately, she gifted Trump her Nobel Peace Prize in January, during a visit to Washington, DC. Media reports, however, have suggested friction between the Trump administration and Machado.

In interviews with Reuters and Axios, US administration officials have anonymously expressed frustration with the opposition leader’s repeated efforts to return home, particularly after a pair of deadly earthquakes in Venezuela last July.

Axios quoted one official as calling Machado’s push “political opportunism”.

Machado, no entanto, permanece uma das figuras mais populares da oposição venezuelana.

Em outubro de 2023, Machado venceu a prévia presidencial da coalizão da oposição, mas em janeiro de 2024, os tribunais da Venezuela a impediram de concorrer na próxima corrida.

The courts upheld a 15-year ban on her holding public office, reportedly due to her support of US sanctions against the Maduro government.

Gonzalez ultimately replaced Machado as the opposition candidate in the 2024 race. Maduro claimed victory for a third term as Venezuela’s president in that election cycle, despite widespread criticism that the vote did not meet democratic standards.

A oposição divulgou contagens de votos que pareciam indicar que Gonzalez havia vencido a corrida.

The US had recognised Gonzalez as the country’s rightful president-elect and denied the legitimacy of Maduro’s election claims.

Machado was previously removed from the National Assembly in 2014, due to her activism against the Venezuelan government.

Uma terceira rodada de negociações entre o governo de Rodriguez e a oposição começou na Venezuela este mês.

Mas, em vez de incluir Machado, as negociações envolveram membros da Assembleia Nacional de 2015, que foi liderada pela oposição e dissolvida sob Maduro.

Still, in a statement this month, the US State Department praised the talks as aiding the Venezuelan government’s reform.

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