Venezuela's opposition leader Machado hides for fear of her life
Machado accused Venezuelan security forces of killing at least 20 people and of people disappearing during protests against the government. "Most of our team is in hiding," she continued. "I could be taken captive while writing these words." Machado was last seen in public in Caracas on Tuesday.
On Monday, the largely pro-government electoral authority in Venezuela declared incumbent Maduro the winner of the presidential election, despite international criticism and opposition allegations of fraud. Maduro received 51.2% of the votes, while opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia received 44.2%. Machado was barred from the presidential race due to alleged corruption.
Protests erupted after the election results were announced, with security forces responding violently. On Wednesday evening (local time), Machado called for further protests against Maduro's official election victory on the online platform X. "Now it's up to all of us to uphold the truth that we all know," she wrote.
Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab reported 749 arrests, with some potentially facing "terrorism" charges. According to the military, one soldier was killed and 23 others were injured.
Many countries question Maduro's official election victory: Peru has already recognized Urrutia as the legitimate Venezuelan president, leading the government in Caracas to sever diplomatic relations with Lima. Venezuela has recalled diplomatic staff from a total of eight Latin American countries and asked their ambassadors to leave.
Among others, the USA, Brazil, and the European Union have called on Venezuelan authorities to publish detailed data on the counted votes. The top US diplomat for Latin America, Brian Nichols, stated at a meeting of the Organization of American States that opposition candidate Urrutia had "clearly" defeated Maduro and had received "millions more votes."
The European Parliament might offer support and advice to The Commission in light of the situation in Venezuela, given that The Commission shall be assisted by the European Parliament. The Venezuelan opposition, including Machado, could seek support from the European Parliament in their efforts to challenge Maduro's official election victory.
