Venezuelan Opposition Calls on Military to Resist Maduro

Maria Corina Machado, leader and figurehead of Venezuela's opposition alliance known as the Unitary Platform, called on members of Venezuela's police and military to join the political opposition in denouncing the contested results of the nation's July 28 presidential election alongside the alliance's presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutía. This call for aid by Machado follows increasing government pressure on the opposition, pressure which ultimately forced the figurehead into hiding for fear of her life..A Call to Arms.In the pair's joint statement, the two stressed González won 67 percent of the vote compared to President Nicolas Maduro's 30 percent in the contested election and have worked to defend this result from the president's regime through mass mobilizations of Venezuelans across the country.."We won in all the states of the country and in almost all the municipalities." the opposition leaders proclaimed in their statement. "This reality is witnessed by all citizens, including the members of Plan República.".Plan República consists of members of the armed forces deployed to polling sites across the country to ensure safety during elections. This deployment has been party to a number of controversies during this year's elections, with voters claiming the personnel prevented many Venezuelans from exercising their will to vote and did not allow the entry of opposition election observers..Next, the pair denounced Maduro's vicious crackdown against those opposed to his reelection, a crackdown that has led to at least 20 deaths according to Human Rights Watch and 1,200 arrests according to the Prosecutor's Office. Further violence is inflicted by those outside of Maduro's direct control, as bands of civilians loyal to the proclaimed president have reportedly taken to the streets to disperse opposition protestors.."Maduro refuses to acknowledge that he was defeated by the entire country and, in response to legitimate protest, has launched a brutal offensive against democratic leaders, witnesses, polling station members, and even against the common citizen, with the absurd purpose of wanting to hide the truth and, at the same time, trying to take away the victory from the winners," the statement reads..The pair's statement called on Venezuela's military's lower enlisted to resist those loyal to Maduro, stating that "the high command aligns with Maduro and his interests. While you are being represented by that people who went out to vote, by your colleagues in the National Armed Forces, by your families and friends, whose will was expressed on July 28, and you know it.".Specifically, the two called on those willing to join the opposition's cause to fight against "a combination of military and police squads and other thugs outside the State, who beat, torture, and also murder, under the cover of the evil power they represent."."You can and must stop these actions immediately. We urge you to prevent the regime's actions against the people and to respect, and enforce respect, the results of the July 28 elections. Maduro has given a coup against the state that goes against constitutional order and makes you his accomplices," the statement continued..The statement concludes with the pair further denouncing Maduro's declared victory, pointing towards a report published by the Carter Center while also decrying the president's attempts to publish electoral data far after the legal period required for publication expired..Following the joint statement, Venezuela's Prosecutor's Office announced that they had opened an investigation into both Machado and González for both announcing the latter as the victor and for inciting "police and military officials to disobey the laws." The list of crimes the pair will be investigated for includes usurpation of functions, dissemination of false information to cause distress, instigation to disobedience of the laws, instigation to insurrection, association to commit crimes, and conspiracy, according to the statement..This echoes a previous statement by Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who claims Machado and two other opposition figures were involved in a cyberattack originating from North Macedonia that sought to manipulate data transmitted from polling stations to the CNE during the election in an effort to illicitly turn votes towards the opposition..Saab announced that a team put together by the government was "gathering evidence to convict as a result of these actions, which sought to alter the results [of the election]," before stating that a conviction of electoral tampering could place those convicted in prison for three to six years. This announced effort to gather evidence may have contributed to Machado going into hiding mere days later..Since the election, Venezuela has been plunged into chaos as opposition protestors face government repression and armed attacks by Maduro's supporters. The opposition has only grown in legitimacy following the publication of over 80 percent of tally sheets from polling stations across Venezuela, which ultimately show a González victory. Since the publication of the tally sheets, the United States has rallied around the opposition officially endorsing González as the President of Venezuela..Other nations have been less vocal regarding their support for the opposition, with neighboring Brazil and Colombia only calling on Maduro to publish the full results of the election. These two Latin American nations were joined by Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Italy, France, and Germany who published a joint statement on Saturday calling for an end to violence and for Maduro to publish all records regarding the nation's election..Not all have only asked for Maduro to prove he won the election. Many Latin American nations have come out directly labeling Maduro's victory as a fraud, including Panama, Argentina, and Chile. Following these nations' statements against Maduro, the president expelled diplomatic staff from Venezuela, leading to heightened tensions regarding the six Venezuelan asylees residing in Argentina's embassy in Caracas. Ultimately Brazil took control of Argentina's embassy, both safeguarding those taking shelter inside and taking on their role for Argentinians living in Venezuela..What Another Seven Years of Maduro Could Mean.Since 1999, Venezuela has been under the rule of socialists. First, with Hugo Chavez whose political ideology dubbed Chavism has been handed down to current President, Nicolas Maduro. Chavez ruled until 2013 when he died of cancer, leaving behind a massive power struggle as high ranking officials within Chavez's PSUV and the political opposition scrambled for power. Ultimately, after elections held the same year of his death, Nicolas Maduro was elected President with a mere 1.5 percent margin over his opponent, Henrique Capriles, the Presidential candidate for the opposition Democratic Unity Platform..Prior to the death of Chavez however, Venezuela wagered its vast deposits of oil for economic gain. These reserves, coupled with increasing oil prices in the 2000s ultimately led to Venezuela finding itself with a large increase in funds which was used to address poverty across the country. While critics of Chavez's regime claimed the then President used the funds to buy votes and ultimately support his rule rather than the good of Venezuela, the result of Chavez's work led to a 20 percent decrease in poverty across the country..This over-reliance on oil eventually led to the current economic crisis within Venezuela today, further exacerbated by poor fiscal decisions by both Chavez and Maduro throughout their respective tenures. In the early 2010s, these poor decisions made by Chavez ultimately left Venezuela's economy struggling with shortages of food and other goods becoming commonplace amid rising inflation and poverty rates..These economic issues only increased in 2015 amid falling oil prices coupled with struggles within Venezuela's oil production industry. During the start of the financial crisis within Venezuela, anti-government demonstrations became a common sight, a fact that Maduro's regime would seek to acknowledge. Maduro's government enacted a viscous crackdown on political dissent, with reports of authorities executing dissenters and imprisoning those who spoke against the government becoming more common..In the face of Venezuela's humanitarian crisis, both in terms of economic hardship and political repression, United States President Barack Obama designated Venezuela as a national security threat and issued sanctions against a number of the nation's political figures in an effort to force the hands of the country's political elite. Sanctions would increase in 2017 under the Trump administration, with these new sanctions targeting more Venezuelan political figures. President Trump would then sign further sanctions into effect in 2019, this time targeting Venezuela's oil, gold, and other industries vital for the country..In an effort to lessen sanctions against Venezuela, Maduro's government signed the Barbados Agreement in October 2023 with the Unitary Platform. This agreement was intended to promote political rights and electoral guarantees for those wishing to run for office ahead of the Presidential election. Following the signing, the United States and European Union relieved some sanctions against Venezuela's oil and gold industries. This relief would not last long however, as sanctions against Venezuela's gold mining industry were reimposed in late January following perceived failures of Maduro's regime to respect the agreement..With the CNE, the only body allowed to announce the victor in elections, officially declaring Maduro the winner, Venezuela is set to continue the policies of Chavism, likely continuing the economic decline of the country. The original sanctions imposed against Maduro's regime are likely to be reasserted by the United States and the European Union following the wealth of accusations of tampering and repression during the election period, while political repression by Maduro's regime will likely ramp up with the conclusion of elections..Protests against Maduro's continued reign are sure to break out in the days following the announced results, while reprisals by the state are sure to follow.