In an opinion piece, María Corina Machado describes in detail how the opposition collected the results of the presidential elections and its struggle to see them recognized by the international community.
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The opposition knew that Nicolás Maduro was not going to accept defeat and took the necessary precautions to obtain and safeguard what they say are the true results of the Venezuelan presidential elections. This is what María Corina Machado says in an opinion article published this Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.
“I write this in secret, fearing for my life, my freedom and that of my compatriots, in the face of the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro,” the Venezuelan opposition leader begins her article, titled “I can prove that Maduro was defeated,” which is intended to serve as a wake-up call to the international community.
Machado describes that, contrary to what the Venezuelan government claims, Edmundo González won the elections with 67% of the votes, compared to Maduro’s 30%“I know this is true because I can prove it,” he says.
He goes on to accuse the government of “having done everything possible to sabotage the campaign” of the opposition. The obstacles began with the refusal of Machado herself and her replacement, Corina Yoris, as candidates for the Presidency, with Edmundo González assuming the role, in a “brave” manner.
“The regime never imagined that our movement would grow and win the vote base of the chavismo. The poor and rural population boosted by Hugo Chavez’s meteoric rise are now disillusioned and have taken control of their future,” he describes.Our people were like a tsunami.”, he affirms.
According to Machado, the movement had More than a million volunteerswith specific tasks to ensure that all votes were counted correctly on Election Day.
By Sunday, June 28, thousands of people were witnesses at the polling stations, conducting surveys at the ballot boxes and ensuring “physical proof of the results.” Machado also lists two independent polls that confirm the opposition’s count.
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The Venezuelan opposition leader then describes how, when the regime became aware of the opposition’s “response victory”, it announced “a fraudulent result” and proceeded to expel volunteers from the polling stations and “make their work impossible.”
After spending an entire night protecting the documents “with their own lives”, the opposition began counting the votes and by Monday evening had guaranteed “a mathematical certainty of victory”. On Tuesday, the results were published in a Website public.
“Evidence of this blatant fraud was provided to heads of state around the world,” argues Maria Corina Machado, explaining how the fraud sparked spontaneous protests in the capital and across the country.
Below, the Venezuelan offers an overview of the state of the country after the elections, with more than 20 dead, 1,000 arrested and eleven people forced to disappearincluding herself. “Most of my team is in hiding, my assistants at the Argentine embassy are protected by the Brazilian government. I could be trapped as I write these words,” she describes.
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The conclusion of your article is summed up in the subtitle you gave it: “Venezuelans are ready to end the dictatorship. Will the international community support us?“. Machado calls on the international community and “all those who reject authoritarianism and support democracy” to join “the Venezuelan people and their noble cause.”
“We Venezuelans have done our duty. We voted against Mr. Maduro. Now it is up to the international community to decide whether or not to tolerate a government that has proven to be illegitimate. We will not rest until we are free,” concludes the leader of the Venezuelan opposition.
Maria Corina Machado’s fight for international support has borne fruit. From the United States to the European Union – including Portugal – through most of South America and all of Africa, There are more countries that refused to recognize Maduro’s victory than those that did.These include Bolivia, Russia, Iran and China.
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Source: Observadora
