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Ten days have passed since the National Electoral Council proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as president-elect for the period 2025-2031 and the eyes of the world are closely following what is happening in Venezuela after the denunciation of fraud by the opposition, which published the electoral records showing a different result, while the electoral body has not yet formally published these results nor allowed audits.
Added to all this political scenario are the waves of citizen protests that began on Monday, July 29 and which triggered large-scale repression by the Maduro government, which indicated that it was preparing two prisons to transfer the more than 1,200 detainees who have been part of the protests, and who have also been wanted at home for participating in them.
Internationally, the pressure against Maduro continues. With the exception of countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua, China and Russia, the international community has been divided between not recognizing the results issued by the CNE and requesting the publication of the results. As the days have passed, some governments have taken a stronger position. The United States, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador publicly recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the new president elect of Venezuela.
Faced with the international stance, it increased Maduro’s isolation, restricting airspace with Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru, while eliminating diplomatic relations with seven countries in the region.
The repression was also transferred to political leaders such as Freddy Superlano and table members of the electoral process who are being persecuted.
What’s going on this week?
The situation with Venezuela has not calmed down and actions by Chavismo and the opposition led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González continue, as well as international pressure and the criminalization of protest and freedom of expression in the country.
Chavismo’s position
Even without the counting of the ballots, Chavismo once again lashed out at what they consider a conspiracy against them by the opposition for a coup d’état, and after openly fighting with Elon Musk (owner of X) now points to the TikTok and Instagram platforms of “installing hate” and bringing facism to Venezuela.
#EnVideo📹| Comandante en Jefe de la FANB @NicolasMaduro responsabilizó a las diferentes plataformas por permitir la trasmisión del odio y tratar de dividir a los venezolanos. #VenezuelaPazYJusticia pic.twitter.com/UdTnFeZ82v
— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) August 4, 2024
Maduro’s statements on August 4 came in the midst of the 87th anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), when, dressed in the Guard’s uniform, Maduro congratulated the officers for their performance in the protests generated after the presidential elections of last Sunday, July 28.
But it has not only been the social networks, on August 5 Nicolás Maduro also went against the largest messaging network used in Venezuela: WhatsApp. What did he say? Basically the same speech as before the other networks, he blamed the platform of being part of the “cyber coup”, so he asked to uninstall this application from phones and better use Telegram or WeChat.
Tras amenazar con regular Instagram y Tiktok, ahora Maduro apunta contra WhatsApp y pide desinstalarlo.
Hace pocos días, en la campaña, pedía a sus seguidores usar estas redes para dar ahí la “batalla comunicacional”. Por lo visto también la perdió, igual que las elecciones. pic.twitter.com/GOaKtNhS6b
— Gabriel Bastidas (@Gbastidas) August 5, 2024
On August 6. the Ministry of Communication and Information aligned itself with Maduro’s new strategy against the messaging app, promoting #ChaoWhatsApp as the second hashtag of the day.
#6Ago | 🇻🇪 📢 ¡SEGUNDA ETIQUETA! ▶️#ChaoWhatsApp
¡Venezuela libre de imperialismo tecnológico! pic.twitter.com/q0y7bJfhBr
— MIPPCI (@Mippcivzla) August 6, 2024
Meanwhile, TikTok closed the account of the program Con El Mazo Dando, hosted by Diosdado Cabello. “Faced with the blatant censorship of the social network transnationals, Tik Tok has unjustifiably closed our account. They will not silence us!”, posted the program’s account on X.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab assured on August 4 that neither Edmundo González nor María Corina Machado had an arrest warrant against them, after Machado assured that they were in hiding. However, on August 5, the same Prosecutor opened a criminal investigation against both of them, after the publication of a communiqué in which they asked the National Armed Forces to side with the Venezuelan people and to recognize and defend their election.
In a televised speech, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, read a communiqué in response to the one sent by González and Machado, in which he stated that “the Venezuelan people voted for peace, for prosperity, work, life, education and health” and maintained their position to recognize the reelection.
Furthermore, the President of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, presented before the Supreme Court of Justice the electoral records. Amoroso addressed the TSJ with a brief message in which he stated that “everything requested by the highest Court of the Republic is included”, without providing further details.
The Supreme Court of Justice has also been in the limelight this week. The TSJ summoned for Wednesday, August 7, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to a proceeding to carry out an expert appraisal of the election results. The opposition candidate did not attend. Representatives of the three parties that nominated him, however, did attend the summons and demanded the publication of the official results still pending, as required by law.
On August 8, Nicolás Maduro lashed out again against digital platforms. On the same day he blocked the messaging app Signal and reported an order with Conatel to block access to Twitter (X) for 10 days, after an ongoing fight with its owner Elon Musk. Alarm bells are ringing in Venezuela about what could be the beginning of a scenario of general blocking of social networks for the country.
#AlertaProBox 🚨 Nicolás Maduro anuncia bloqueo de Twitter (X) en Venezuela por al menos 10 días, cercando aún más la libertad de expresión de los venezolanos. Todo esto bajo la excusa de que Elon Musk violó las leyes del país e incitó al odio en su propia plataforma luego del… https://t.co/OQQrDafG21
— ProBox (@ProBoxVE) August 9, 2024
On August 9, before the TSJ, Maduro stated that María Corina Machado must surrender to the Venezuelan justice system; however, there is no order against her, beyond the investigation initiated the previous week.
What the opposition says
On Saturday, August 3, María Corina Machado appeared again at a rally in Las Mercedes, Caracas, where thousands of people gathered following the call for a new demonstration against the results issued by the CNE.
On this occasion, María Corina Machado’s speech was forceful and full of messages of constancy and hope. “We have never been as strong as we are today. Never has the regime been so weak”, she assured. This rally was replicated the same day in more than 50 cities around the world.
On August 6, María Corina Machado spoke again and pointed out that the fifth stage of the electoral process is to defend the vote: “Nobody said it would be easy. This is irreversible and until the end. Nobody can give up the fight”, says Machado.
Después de la victoria ciudadana monumental del 28J, que el mundo reconoce, debemos seguir adelante!
Ahora más que nunca activos, firmes y comunicados.
Esta gesta ya es histórica e invencible!! pic.twitter.com/7BfuT1kmam
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) August 6, 2024
In addition to this, Edmundo González Urrutia issued on August 7 a statement justifying his non-attendance to the appearance before which he was summoned by the Supreme Court of Justice. “The citizen Nicolás Maduro Moros, who has filed an alleged appeal before the Electoral Chamber, has publicly said (…) that if I do not appear I will incur in legal liabilities, and that, if I appear and consign copies of the scrutiny minutes, there will also be serious criminal liabilities. Is that an impartial procedure and respectful of the due process? Am I condemned in advance?”, he pointed out.
On August 7, opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared before the cameras again, this time, in front of the Venezuela Vota alliance’s signal, where the directors of the main independent media in Venezuela asked her about what has been happening since June 28 and what is coming in the process of achieving legitimacy and auditing the electoral results. “I believe there is maturity in the Venezuelan society to understand that this new phase, of asserting the truth, also has its times”, said Machado.
After the interview with Venezuelan media, María Corina Machado has given virtual interviews for different countries, including Mexico and the U.S., and has also been on live broadcasts with influencers such as Lele Pons.
On August 8, a vigil was held for those imprisoned and killed during the protest.
On August 9, the opposition leader put on the table a transition negotiation that includes guarantees for Nicolás Maduro.
The persecution continues
The persecution of witnesses and opposition leaders is accentuated; human rights activists are once again being targeted by Chavismo.
On August 3, LGBTIQ+ rights defender activist Yendri Velásquez was detained at Maiquetía airport, where his passport was taken away. A day later, human rights defender and humanitarian worker Edni López disappeared at the Caracas airport on her way to take a flight to Buenos Aires. There are still no details on the whereabouts of Lopez.
Following the arrest of both, a process of passport cancellations has been taking place, in which activists and journalists have been affected.
Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the detainees continue to denounce that they have not been able to see them and that due process is not being complied with.
On Tuesday, August 6, a new arrest set off alarms. Officials of the DGCIM detained María Oropeza, head of the Con Venezuela campaign command in Portuguesa state. They entered by force and without a warrant while she was recording the whole situation in a live broadcast on her Instagram account.
.🚨 #Urgente | Funcionarios de la DGCIM, detuvieron a María Oropeza, jefe del comando de campaña ConVzla en Portuguesa.
Ingresaron a la fuerza y sin orden judicial.
Alertamos a la comunidad internacional de esta situación. El régimen es responsable de su integridad física. pic.twitter.com/lIi0pwSlyg
— DDHH Vente Venezuela (@VenteDDHH) August 7, 2024
In view of this situation, the presidency of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference issued a new communiqué on August 7, rejecting the arbitrary detentions without due process of law.
On August 8, two Venezuelan opposition members were arrested. They are former deputies and opposition leaders Williams Dávila and Américo De Grazia, who were detained according to information from the opposition and their families.
According to data handled by the Penal Forum, up to the morning of August 9, 1,263 verified and identified arrests have been registered, of which 114 are adolescents, 5 indigenous and 16 people with proven disabilities and 160 women. In addition, according to Monitor de Víctimas, 23 deaths have been registered between the night of Sunday, July 28 and August 5.
#9Ag Balance de represión (postelectoral).
Detenciones verificadas por el @foropenal, ocurridas desde el 29/07 hasta el 09/08 actualizado a las 8am:-1.263 detenciones
Incluyendo:
-114 adolescentes
-5 indígenas
-16 personas con discapacidad
-160 mujeresSeguimos actualizando pic.twitter.com/yTFvVyDfcm
— Foro Penal (@ForoPenal) August 9, 2024
International reactions
The international community has not stopped pressuring. To the recognition of several countries of Edmundo Gonzalez as President Elect, are added the declarations of historical allies of Chavism such as the former President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who requested for “the legacy of Chavez”, to publish the minutes.
Diosdado Cabello’s response to the statements was immediate. He accused the Argentine left of breaking the legacy of Perón and Nestor Kirchner.
On the other hand, the Carter Center spoke again, they found no evidence of “hacking” of the electoral system, thus denying the official versions of manipulation of the electoral records by the opposition.
Another strong statement by the Carter Center was aimed at recognizing that the tally sheets shown by the opposition are real and therefore, the president elect is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. This was stated by Jennie Lincoln, head of the Carter Center observation mission, in an interview with AFP.
On the other hand, during his visit to Chile, Brazil’s President Lula Da Silva, on August 7, once again bet on dialogue. “Respect for tolerance and national sovereignty is what moves us to defend the transparency of the results,” said Lula.
On August 8, María Corina Machado sent a message to the international community asking them to maintain pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro. In a meeting with Mexican media, she also asked the Executive of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to “understand the enormous responsibility” he has towards the region, due to “the communication channel he has with the regime”.
That same day, the foreign ministries of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil issued a communiqué in which they reaffirmed the convenience of allowing impartial verification of the results, respecting the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty.
On Friday, August 9, Amnesty International asked the head of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to issue a warning to the Venezuelan State regarding the strategy of widespread repression implemented after the presidential elections.
This Friday also José Raúl Mulino, president of Panama, declared that his government “would be willing” to give political asylum on a temporary basis to Nicolás Maduro to promote a peaceful transition in Venezuela:
What is expected
In view of the statement issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the criminal investigation against María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, the community is attentive to the possible arrest of the two most important figures of the Venezuelan opposition at this moment.
The focus is also on the fate of those detained by State officials. Members of NGOs, protesters, journalists, activists and members of María Corina Machado’s table and team are still being detained.
