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Thousands gather in Caracas to support Machado
Machado insisted: “The violence is a pretense to hide the truth.”
The streets of Caracas were packed with supporters of disenfranchised opposition leader María Corina Machado on Saturday, who insisted that the “minutes” in her hands were “the truth” and proved that Edmundo González Urrutia had defeated incumbent President Nicolás Maduro in last Sunday’s election.
Regarding Maduro’s statement to the Supreme Court, Machado stressed that “no pseudo-legal means can hide the truth.”
Machado insisted on holding the rally on Saturday despite government threats and going into hiding out of fear for her safety and freedom, according to an op-ed she published in The Wall Street Journal.
The Carter Center, an international observer tasked with monitoring Venezuela’s elections, concluded that the elections could not be called “democratic” given the numerous irregularities found. In addition, the CNE never released a breakdown of the results of each voting tabulation to support Maduro’s claim of victory.
Machado’s move on Saturday was a challenge to Maduro’s leadership. “I do not accept the claims of blackmail against us by those who equate victims with perpetrators. We do not have guns. It is the regime that uses guns against the people. We do not promote violence. And protesting in a peaceful and civil way is not violence. Violence is a disguise to cover up the truth,” Machado insisted. “Freedom! Freedom!” she continued.
“Today is a very important day. After six days of brutal repression, in which they thought they would silence us, scare us or paralyze us. Each of you showing up represents the best of Venezuelans. It shows the world how strong we are and that we will go all the way,” Machado stressed, along with other political leaders Delsa Solórzano, Juan Pablo Guanipa, María Beatriz Martínez, Biagio Pilieri and Williams Dávila of the opposition United Democratic Platform (PUD).
Machado also said: “July 28 is a milestone in Venezuela’s democratic transformation.” She pointed out: “Today, the fear comes from other places… Our struggle is a peaceful struggle of citizens, but we are not weak.”
“We have never been so strong. We have never been as powerful as we are today. The regime has never been so weak. It has lost all legitimacy,” Machado stressed.
Machado later said on X: “We have to move forward and insist on the truth. We have the evidence and the world has acknowledged it.”
Eleven civilians have reportedly died since spontaneous protests against Maduro’s re-election broke out on Monday. More than 1,200 people have been arrested as authorities have been claiming the PUD is plotting a coup.
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