The leader of the Venezuelan opposition Maria Corina Machadofavorite in the polls, but disqualified from public office, insists against all odds in confronting the president Nicolas Maduro in the July 28 elections. “I am plan A”he insists in an interview with AFP.
“We always fight for plan A. Plan A is me”he states before an event in San Antonio de Los Altos, neighboring Caracas. “What happens is that one always fights for plan A.”
Plan B or C does not exist in her speech: she refuses to say which candidate she will ultimately support, she is cryptic on the subject.
“Let Maduro be the one who decides who he accepts as a contender, that does not exist,” he points out emphatically.
Hundreds of people gathered on a small street to listen to Machado, who swept the opposition primaries held last October with more than 90% of the votes.
“I put my life in your hands,” she says to cheering followers, without mentioning the electoral blockages the opposition faces, much less the internal fractures.
“We make the impossible possible”
Ineligible due to a sanction imposed by the Comptroller’s Office, of Chavista line, Machado had appointed academic Corina Yoris to replace her, but she could not be registered for unknown reasons. The coalition then registered a candidate “provisional”Edmundo González Urrutia, with the idea of changing it before the vote.
Machado is clinging to the hope of being on the ballot or at least having someone he trusts. The government has ruled out the possibility of introducing a different name to the 13 registered candidates.
“We have up to 10 days before the elections to replace a candidacy,” affirms, confident “move forward and maintain this negotiation in the days to come” for “that there can be a candidacy that has the support of all the unitary forces.”
“If I have learned anything, it is that in Venezuela we make the impossible possible,” he says in relation to the “extraordinary primaries” October. “They told me that it was impossible to hold primaries, for the country to mobilize, to enthuse a Venezuela that seemed dull, sad, and distrustful of politics in a great social movement.”
“There is mistrust”
Machado avoids talking about the candidacy of Manuel Rosales, rival of the late Hugo Chávez in 2006 and questioned by sectors of the opposition for acting in defense of Maduro’s interests, something that he flatly denies.
“It is a public and notorious fact” that in the opposition “there is distrust”, he said, without mentioning her name.
He rules out, however, any idea of a boycott as in 2018, when Maduro was re-elected.
“They want abstention. The regime wants to impose abstention out of fear, with candidates that are not legitimate or that do not have the support of Venezuelan society. “They are the ones who want to cause division.”says Machado, who claims to have 80% backup.
“Elections in which (…) the regime imposes the candidate are obviously not clean and free elections. Either we bow our heads or we fight for our rights, for justice. “We have time, the people are determined, Venezuelans want to vote.”
“I have confidence in the people, not in the CNE. We have seen all the arbitrariness of the electoral system. We are facing a process full of obstacles. How to overcome obstacles? “With organization, citizen strength, training, preparation, enthusiasm and courage,” points out.
“Brutal threats”
Machado denounces persecution. Seven members of his campaign team have been arrested, accused of conspiracy, joining the 269 “political prisoners” accounted for by the NGO Foro Penal.
Six other collaborators, with arrest warrants, took refuge in the residence of the Argentine embassy.
“We are convinced that the best thing for Venezuela is a negotiated transition that involves a free and fair election, which is what we are demanding,” highlights the 56-year-old liberal leader.
“The threats are brutal against me, against my environment, even my family,” holds. “But this is until the end.”
It may interest you
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
