MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Machado announces ecumenic protest against Maduro

The international community has understood what it means that Maduro intends to stay by force, Machado argued

Venezuelan opposition leader announced Friday that “we will not leave the streets” and pledged to stage a worldwide demonstration in support of her stance regarding the outcome of the July 28 elections, which she insists Edmundo González Urrutia of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) won by 67% to 30% of the vote against the incumbent Nicolás Maduro, whom the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced as the winner.

“The world has to see the strength, the determination, and the decision that we Venezuelans have taken, that this has no way back. We are not going to leave the streets. It does not mean we will be in the streets every day. This is managed, it is done with intelligence, with discipline, and perseverance,” Machado insisted through a live Instagram video with influencer Lele Pons.

“We are going to invite and summon the whole world, all Venezuelans and Latin Americans, all the people who ache for justice, freedom, and truth, to join us in a moment of encounter of everyone outside and inside,” she added.

“We are not going to give up until we achieve our purpose. We cannot stop until the end and achieve that those votes of millions of Venezuelans are respected,” insisted Machado, who also argued that her country's crisis affected other nations as well.

“It is no longer only the whole country united, also the international community, because it has understood the enormous problem that it means, not only for Venezuela that Maduro intends to stay by force,” she underlined.

In her view, Maduro's recommendation against WhatsApp and the ban for 10 days on X proved that “they are scared.”

Despite her announcement, Machado gave no specific date for her ecumenic protest against Maduro's alleged fraud. However, she also noted that such a demonstration needed to be “organized, civic and peaceful” but “not docile” because “a super robust strategy” was needed to put an end to the Chavista government.

Meanwhile, Maduro rejected any transition negotiations with Machado and dubbed her a “terrorist” and a “fugitive from justice”.

“The only one who has to negotiate in this country with Machado is the attorney general,” Maduro argued.

In this scenario, Panama's President José Raúl Mulino has offered Maduro political asylum as a possible way out of the crisis. But the proposal was turned down. Prominent PSUV [Maduro's party] leader Diosdado Cabello said Mulino was acting as a “low-level spokesman for imperialism.”