After meeting with President Biden At the White House on Monday, Edmundo Gonzalez, the man who won Venezuela's presidential election in July, traveled to Argentina and then to Panama with ballot papers to prove that he, not Nicolas Maduro, is Venezuela's democratically elected leader.
Maria Corina Machado, a prominent leader in the Venezuelan opposition, told Fox News: “We elected by an overwhelming majority, and he is a good man and Edmundo Gonzalez. We have proof of this victory, and the whole world knows it.” “We won.”
Maduro is scheduled to be inaugurated on Friday. The Venezuelan opposition has called for massive street protests to peacefully demand the non-inauguration of Maduro, whose authoritarian, mafia-style leadership has nearly bankrupted the oil-rich country.
Americans arrested in Venezuela on the eve of Maduro's inauguration over “terrorism” allegations
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Maduro said Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez should face prison sentences of at least 30 years on charges of promoting and seeking post-election violence. To destabilize his government (Gabe Ora/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“What we need is for all American institutions to understand that Venezuela is the most important conflict in the Western Hemisphere for the national security of the United States,” Machado said via Zoom from the safety of her home in Venezuela.
“We can be the best ally of the United States in the Americas, first and foremost, because we also urgently need to solve the problem.” Immigration A problem in our area. We want these Venezuelans to return in their billions, voluntarily. This will happen when they see that there is a future in their country.”
Machado had the following message for President-elect Donald Trump: “Venezuela has tremendous energy potential that will never be tapped… We will transform Venezuela from the world to energy.” Criminal axis “The Americas are the energy hub of the Americas and we have a strong partnership with the United States.”
Gonzalez, who was elected president by Venezuela in July, also met with new National Security Advisor Kong Michael Waltz of Florida while in Washington. Maduro warned that Gonzalez would be arrested if he returned to Venezuela.
Venezuela's Maduro begins third term amid rigged elections: 'flagrant violation'
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado displays vote tallying lists during a protest against the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro one month after a disputed presidential election that she says the opposition won by a landslide, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday, August 28. 2024. (AP Photo/Christian Hernandez)
“I want you to know how important this is also to the safety of the American people,” Machado explained. He added, “To resolve this conflict in Venezuela, I believe that what will happen in the coming days in Venezuela depends not only on democracy and the future of our democracy, but also on the future of democracy in the region.”
Machado said the fall of the Assad regime in Syria It is a cautionary tale for those in the military and judiciary who still support Maduro. The regime has sent secret police units to surround the homes of her family members, sent a drone over her mother's house and kidnapped President-elect Gonzalez's son-in-law on Tuesday.
Machado, a former member of the Venezuelan National Assembly, asked, “Maduro has lost everything except fear and repression. Maduro has lost all popular support, all legitimacy, and is even weak or isolated internationally. What does he have left? Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah.” .
Venezuela's Supreme Court has banned opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from running in the country's presidential elections. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
The Maduro regime also arrested two Americans one day after Gonzalez met with President Biden at the White House, and accused them of being mercenaries sent by the US government.
The State Department issued the following statement: “We are concerned about reports of US citizens detained in Venezuela. We are working to gather more information. Due to privacy and other considerations, we have no further comment on these cases. Any allegations by the United States of involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro Absolutely false, and the United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela.
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The State Department spokesperson went on to warn American citizens against traveling to Venezuela, because “Maduro and his associates have demonstrated in the past that they may detain and imprison, without justification or due process, American citizens who enter Venezuela.”
