Venezuela’s current political turmoil over an allegedly fraudulent presidential election will not be resolved simply by bringing an opposition candidate to power, although that is a strong first step, experts tell Fox News Digital.
“I certainly think these are patriots,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told Fox News Digital during a digital press conference. “Maria Corina Machado is… one of the bravest people I have ever met and one of the greatest political figures in the world.”
“She is determined to stay in this country,” Rubio continued. “She put aside any personal ambition she might have had, allowed herself to be the opposition candidate and didn’t let that get in the way.”
“So these are extraordinary people and the only reason you do this is because you love your country,” he added.
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro intervened in the November 2023 primaries to prevent the hugely popular Machado from standing up against him, instead forcing her to step aside and allow Edmundo González to take up the opposition banner .
Pre-election polls – which are illegal in the country – showed Gonzalez with twice as much support as Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), but the National Electoral Council, controlled by Maduro, called The victory margin was ceded to the current president.
On July 30, 2024, Caracas, Venezuela, opposition leader Maria Collina Machado and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez joined hands to protest the results of the presidential election. (Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images)
Venezuelans took to the streets to protest peacefully, but Maduro dispatched police to suppress and clear the streets, leading to an escalation of violent conflicts.
Ultimately, the Biden administration declared Gonzalez the rightful winner of the election on Thursday, saying: “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the people of Venezuela that Edmundo Gonzalez… Won the most votes in Venezuelan elections.
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Joseph Hummel, executive director of the Center for Safe and Free Societies, stressed that “Venezuela will not really change with one election, but it is a starting point.”
“After 25 years of authoritarian socialist rule, Venezuelans have lost most, if not all, of their freedoms,” Hummel told Fox News Digital.
On July 30, 2024, in Caracas, Venezuela, a supporter shouted slogans during a protest against the results of the presidential election. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election, beating rival Edmundo Gonzalez. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
“They have almost no economic freedom, political freedom, and even freedom of speech is severely restricted,” Hummel explained. “The main reason Venezuelans voted so highly for Edmundo Gonzalez in this election (and indeed for Machado, even though she was barred from the polls) is because they wanted Restoration of freedom.
“Venezuela is run by a criminal system embedded in most state institutions, with networks of equal power outside the government through armed non-state actors,” Hummel continued. “Maduro’s defeat and departure are necessary but insufficient conditions for real change in Venezuela.”
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“But even if Maduro and his associates (regime leaders) leave Venezuela, the Chavista criminal system will remain in place and will undoubtedly try to subvert and manipulate the transition process,” he added, noting that Bolivia is a leader Countries that resigned but still dominated.
Humil recommended that Machado and Gonzalez continue their efforts to “delegitimize the Chavez regime,” referring to Hugo Chavez and the government structures he established in Venezuela, as well as Maduro’s 2013 The structure of government inherited after taking office.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (Gaby Ora/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The opposition has always been filled with what Venezuelans call ‘enchufados,’ which is Spanish for people who ‘meddle’ in the regime,” Humil said. “These are fake opposition members with backdoor connections to the Maduro regime. Business and political transactions.”
“My concern is that these ‘enchufados’ will either a) shift the narrative towards one that legitimizes Maduro’s electoral fraud; and/or b) even if Edmundo Gonares is accepted as Being elected president would also upend Venezuela’s transition process.
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Supporters of Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Zulia state, Venezuela, July 23, 2024 Pictured at a campaign rally in Maracaibo. (Raul Abold/AFP via Getty Images)
Isaias Medina III, a former U.N. Security Council diplomat and Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital that this week’s “massive demonstrations” in Venezuela “reflect a grassroots appetite for change.” needs,” but he also acknowledged that Venezuela faces serious challenges. Along with “challenging a brutal regime willing to use force against its people.”
“Venezuela politics needs profound reform,” Medina said. “Unfortunately, Venezuela’s exit strategy is necessary. However, has Maduro really decided to agree to any negotiations or amnesty proposals? Many questionable stakeholders have manipulated Venezuela’s lost sovereignty and turned the situation into a threat to regional peace and security transnational crisis.
Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government hold a protest in Caracas on July 29, 2024, the day after Venezuela’s presidential election. Protests erupted in parts of Caracas on Monday against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s claim to have won re-election, disputed by the opposition and questioned by the international community, AFP journalists observed. (Raul Grove/AFP via Getty Images)
“Venezuela needs a new approach to politics, away from ‘politicians’ who put personal interests above the welfare of the country, and away from the government’s paternalistic policies: the government must serve its citizens, not the other way around,” he said. “The focus must shift to education, job opportunities and real representative assemblies to debate issues and find effective solutions.”
“If González and Machado cannot solve the problem of ‘ousting’ the puppet usurper Miraflores (Venezuela’s White House), they will have difficulty rebuilding the country,” he insisted. “But, I hope they Prove me wrong.”
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Medina added: “Venezuela needs more than a messianic ‘president’; it needs a transitional government with firm goals to restore the rule of law, reverse distorted governance, and oust illegal pirate occupiers.”
“Real change requires integrating the best minds across sectors to transform the country’s paternalistic socialist approach into self-development opportunities for a poor, resource-rich country,” he stressed. “Venezuela needs a ‘new path’ away from 21st century socialism.” , effectively combining citizen-public-private-private policies with economic development incentives.”
