One week after the formal beginning of the third period, the Venezuelan political situation begins to become more visible.the deep political divisions that cross society. Madurismo and the opposition plan to occupy the streets on January 10. Another factor, the international one, takes on special importance. whose capture has been claimed by the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps (Cicpc), on the basis of a reward of 100,000 dollars to those who know his “whereabouts”, he intends to soon leave Madrid, where he is exiled, and make his way. in Latin America a few days before the official celebrations. On Saturday he will be received in Buenos Aires by the far-right Javier Milei. , Nahuel Gallo, on the Colombian-Venezuelan border. The combination of internal and external factors promises to herald days of extreme tension.
González Urrutia took advantage of the change of year not only to claim his electoral victory against Maduro, on July 28. It based its legitimacy on the Magna Carta that the Government has turned into its own bible since 1999. “Article 5 establishes that sovereignty resides in the people, who exercise it directly through suffrage.” And that “sovereignty” was, according to the opposition, stolen in the electoral contest. The madurismo responded immediately with the image of the former diplomat presented as a fugitive who is “wanted” for the alleged crimes of “conspiracy”, “complicity in the use of violent acts”, “ignorance of State institutions”, “incitement to disobedience of the laws” and, furthermore, “criminal association”.
In this context, Milei awaits the former presidential candidate with open arms. It will land in the Argentine capital at the most delicate moment in bilateral relations, suspended from the moment Buenos Aires supported the opposition’s victory at the polls. In the embassy in Caracas, whose interests Brazil administers, five opponents are sheltered under daily siege conditions. But the problems escalated after the arrest of Gallo, who is in prison in Caracas under the accusation of alleged conspiratorial actions that were at no time substantiated by the state authorities or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, just as what happened months ago with two tourists. Spanish.
The Venezuelan Fiscal Ministry confirmed that the gendarme was “prosecuted for links to terrorist actions” and that he is being investigated for “serious acts that threaten the Nation.” The Argentine Government denounced the situation this Thursday before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He described the arrest on December 8 as “forced” and “arbitrary” and considered that the case is part of a “systematic pattern of crimes against humanity.”
The street again
Against this backdrop, and as in the recent past, the opposition and the State apparatus are warming up ahead of January 10. The leader of anti-maturism, María Corina Machado called to occupy the streets and sing the national anthem in “all the cities” of the country and “the world where there is a Venezuelan.” Mobilizing to claim González Urrutia’s victory is “the most important task of our lives and we have it here, ahead of us, in a few days.” The Government, Machado assured, has been defeated “politically, electorally and spiritually” because “truth has triumphed, reason has triumphed and good has triumphed.” The next step is to remove Maduro from the Miraflores Palace. According to the right-wing leader, that horizon is “very close.” And that is why he once again called on the “military family” to abandon the president. Maduro, for the moment, seems to control the scenario on the basis of further hardening. The Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Hairannounced a strong police deployment starting January 2 with the purpose of “protecting” the self-transfer of command. He also warned that Gonzalez will be detained if he tries to enter Venezuela. During an end-of-year ceremony for the Bolivarian National Police (PNB), Cabello spoke of a deployment of 20,000 troops throughout the territory. The uniformed men will be provided “with the best weapons for the defense of the homeland” and ready to give a “brutal response” to those who intend to “attack Venezuela.”
At the same time, Maduro called on his followers to mobilize “in millions” and “swear” with him “for independence” and “the Bolivarian homeland. It is not only about controlling the public space but the virtual one. The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) imposed a fine of 10 million dollars on TikTok and severe limitations for operation in Venezuela to avoid content considered dangerous.
Message from the United States
“Although there is still much to do, the steps taken in 2024 are reasons for encouragement, and the hope of these voices is something that we cannot lose,” said, meanwhile, the head of the United States embassy for Venezuela, Francisco Palmieri. “The commitment of countries friendly to the Venezuelan people, including the United States, has been and will continue to be a sign of solidarity and support for those voices,” he added, in new support for González Urrutia. Ten days after Maduro begins his third term, Donald Trump’s second government begins and in a short time Washington’s policy towards the Miraflores Palace will be clear.
