This article originally appeared on GatewayHispanic.com and republished with permission.
Venezuela’s opposition remains steadfast in its demand for electoral transparency. They insisted that the votes be counted. In order to achieve this goal with the support of the regime, they made demands on their allies. Confident of her victory, María Corina Machado said she would make the review available “to all experts from any country in the world, especially from all over the world”. Colombia, Brazil and Mexico ”. She wants regional leaders to confirm that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia did indeed receive more votes than Nicolás Maduro.
“We are very interested in interacting with Mexico’s National Electoral Institute,” he said. Machado told a virtual press conference with Mexican media that he assured that Mexico plays a “very important role” and a “huge responsibility” in ensuring transparency of the election results by establishing direct channels of communication with the Maduro regime. .
Venezuela affects the entire region
With more than 7 million Venezuelans in exile, the political situation in Venezuela affects the entire region. Well, they have to open their borders, respond to demographic changes, saturation of social services, and in some cases they suffer an increase in ordinary and organized crime (like in Chile, via the Aragua train).
For this reason and others, Maria Collina appeals to local governments. She declared that Venezuela now more than ever needs “democratic governments to speak very firmly,” especially if they communicate with the ruling party “so that they understand that the conflict in Venezuela goes beyond our borders.” She stressed that the new Another wave of immigration could impact the region even more than previous waves.
“Unbiased verification of results”
Although they remain allies of Maduro, Brazilian President Lula da Silva has urged respect for public opinion. More importantly, he sent observers to participate in the election process on July 28. This is worth mentioning given that the regime has blocked the entry of several international observers, including the former presidents of Mexico, Bolivia and Colombia. So much so that Andres Pastrana called him a drug dictator. However, some Maduro allies insist they want to be part of the democratic process.
Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Andres Manuel López Obrador said: “There must be justice through verify the results to respect the basic principle of people’s sovereignty.
The opposition has not yet contacted the Mexican government
However, the opposition leader clarified that she and presidential candidate Gonzalez Urrutia have yet to communicate directly with the Mexican government. But she assured that “we are open to mediation by her and other countries that are also willing to contribute to advancing serious, real and effective transition negotiations.”
However, an official in López Obrador’s government told The Associated Press that they are talking to Venezuela’s ruling party and opposition. But he clarified that this was not “mediation.” Not because his government lacks the will, but because he guarantees that no party will make demands.
Likewise, the official confirmed that diplomatic efforts are underway. Additionally, he said representatives from the three countries have advised the Maduro government and opposition to act in accordance with Venezuelan law and appeal any part of the electoral process before the appropriate bodies.
Opposition calls on Obrador to attack institutions
In a bizarre twist, the Venezuelan opposition is seeking support in Mexico from an institution that has been vehemently opposed to Andres Manuel López Obrador. Massive marches were held to defend Mexico’s national electoral institutions as citizens claimed the institution faced threats from the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Because he severely criticized INE. It is for this reason that his opponents defend him. Well, they warn, taking care of this institution can prevent Mexico from becoming like Venezuela.
An example of this concern is the lack of consistent results between Venezuela’s National Electoral Commission and opposition figures. According to CNE, Maduro received 6.4 million votes, while his rival Edmundo Gonzalez, a representative of the opposition Unitarian Platform Alliance, received 5.3 million votes. That’s much more than the figure originally announced by the regime.
However, the vote count was not objective as opposition leaders assured that they had an 80% record of the vote count. They are convinced that Maduro has been defeated. That is, they question official data.
At the same time, images and videos of Venezuelan citizens are circulating on social networks to ensure that “the situation has not cooled down” and that they are still hopeful about the transition and will not be abandoned. Meanwhile, opposition leaders sought support from the international community.
