Opposition leader María Corina Machado called this Sunday for “everyone” to take to the streets of Venezuela and the world on January 9, one day before the presidential inauguration, which both President Nicolás Maduro and anti-Chavista leader Edmundo González Urrutia promise to take over.
“This day will be recorded in history as the day Venezuela said enough. Enough of holding on, enough of being silent. It is our land, our flag. Freedom is not begged, it is fought and conquered,” Machado said in an audio published in X.
He asked to leave “full of confidence” because – he stressed – “Maduro is not going to leave alone, we must make him leave with the strength of a people that never gives up.” “Go out, shout, fight, it is time to stand firm, to make them understand that they have come this far, that this is over. There are no excuses, there is no tomorrow if we do not fight today. Freedom is achieved when we overcome fear. I am going with you,” said the former deputy, who claims to be in hiding because she fears for her safety.
Machado and the largest opposition coalition maintain that González Urrutia is the winner of the July 28 presidential election, which is why they demand that this victory be recognized, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro’s re-election.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader – exiled since September in Spain – reiterates that he will travel to Venezuela to assume the Presidency and, as a preliminary step, is on an international tour, which has already taken him to Argentina and Uruguay, in search of support.
Tomorrow, Monday, he will be received in the United States, where he hopes to meet with President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office maintains an arrest warrant against González Urrutia and the Police recently offered a reward of $100,000 to anyone who provides information about the opponent’s whereabouts or provides any information that would facilitate his arrest. The Government of Venezuela deployed 1,200 troops throughout the country with the objective of “guaranteeing peace” ahead of the inauguration of the Presidency.
