Versión Español
EspañolVenezuela’s political opposition remains in disarray following last Sunday’s regional elections, as various parties within the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) begin to concede to the suspicious results announced by the Maduro regime. As word spreads that some members are considering seats for the illegitimate National Constituent Assembly Maduro installed ealrier this year, one member of the opposition spoke up in hopes of unifying the effort once again.
Coordinator for the opposition party Vente Venezuela María Corina Machado spoke at a press conference earlier this week to address the fracturing of MUD, and the future of the opposition.
“It’s time to take responsibility and be accountable to the country,” she said. “Those who were instrumental in planting the seeds for this fraud should speak clearly to the Venezuelan people, because this fraud is abundantly obvious, and you know what? Enough of blaming people, or blaming God! We have to take responsibility before a people that have given everything, that once again put their trust in us and have once again been let down.”
Machado insisted that it’s no longer possible to reach a solution to Venezuela’s crisis through elections. “There can be no electoral victory as long as the National Electoral Council is controlled by this regime,” she said. Machado never agreed to attend Sunday’s regional elections. She didn’t vote and many accused her of calling for abstention. There are even those who, believing the numbers put forward by the National Electoral Council, blame her for the defeat.
“But this fraud is not only the responsibility of the fraudulent National Electoral Council, it is also the responsibility of those who accepted these terms,” she said. “Today, those who want to accept that they are a minority are giving credence to fraudulent results, and continue to cling to a farcical electoral route imposed by the dictatorship. They must understand that they are ignoring the sacrifice, struggle and surrender of the people of Venezuela.”
“We deny the legitimacy of this entire process” she continued. “We know that these results do not represent that vibrant Venezuela that fights, does not give up and has not, nor will lower its head.”
She also asked: “What has been achieved with the five governors assigned by the regime? In exchange for what? How much have we surrendered? … Sound the alarm! They told us registering for the elections wasn’t the same thing as participating in them. There are those who say that adhering to an oath given by the constituency is not the same thing as recognizing its legitimacy. Please!”
The coordinator of Vente Venezuela made it clear that the oath given by the National Constituent Assembly is inadmissible and would constitute a betrayal of the Venezuelan people. She cited the words of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagrio, who said that the opposition is responsible for the fraud by participating in the elections.
- Read More: Venezuelan Opposition in Disarray over Response to “Massive Fraud” in Regional Elections
- Read More: European Union Moves Closer to Issuing Sanctions against Venezuela’s Maduro Regime
The leader asked the National Assembly — the country’s dissolved legislative body — to reinstate itself and appoint five directors of the National Electoral Council. She also told the elected governors of the opposition that it would be inadmissible to work with the National Constituent Assembly.
“It is time to move forward! We can’t and won’t accept that we can only fight in the terms and conditions that the dictatorship grants us. There is only one option: to rebel.”
Here the complete speech by Maria Corina Machado:
