Venezuela’s current political upheaval following an allegedly fraudulent presidential election will not be resolved simply by putting the opposition candidates in power, though it is a strong first step, experts told Fox News Digital.
“I certainly think that these are patriots,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital during a digital press conference. “Maria Corina Machado is … one of the bravest people I’ve ever encountered and one of the greatest political figures in the world.”
“She’s remained in the country steadfast,” Rubio continued. “She put aside any personal ambitions she may have had in her hand and allowed her to be the candidate for the opposition, and didn’t let that get in the way.”
“So these are extraordinary people, and the only reason you do that is because you love your country,” he added.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro intervened in the November 2023 primaries to prevent the immensely popular Machado from standing against him, instead forcing her to stand aside and allow Edmundo Gonzalez to pick up the banner of the opposition.
Pre-election polling (which is illegal in the country) showed Gonzalez had double the support that Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) had, but the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council handed to the incumbent with an alleged victory margin of 51%, compared to 44% support for the opposition.
Venezuelans took to the streets in peaceful protest following the decision, but Maduro sent out police to crack down on them and to clear the streets, leading to violent clashes and escalation.
Ultimately, the Biden administration on Thursday declared Gonzalez the rightful winner of the election, arguing, “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González … won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”
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Joseph Humire, the executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, stressed that “real change to Venezuela will not happen with one election, but it’s a starting point.”
“After 25 years of autocratic, socialist rule, Venezuelans have lost most if not all of their freedoms,” Humire told Fox News Digital.
“They have little to no economic freedom, political freedom, and even severely limited freedom of speech,” Humire explained. “The main reason Venezuelans voted in such high numbers for Edmundo Gonzalez in this election (and de facto for Machado as well even though she was barred from being on the ballot) is because they want their freedoms back.”
“Venezuela is run by a criminal system that is embedded with most state institutions and has an equal power network outside the government through armed non-state actors,” Humire continued. “Maduro losing and leaving is a necessary but insufficient condition for real change in Venezuela.”
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“But even if Maduro and his cohorts (regime leaders) leave Venezuela, the Chavista criminal system remains and will, no doubt, try to subvert and manipulate the transition process,” he added, pointing to Bolivia as a nation where a leader resigned but returned because the country couldn’t dismantle the power structure he established.
Humire suggested that Machado and Gonzalez continue working to “delegitimize the Chavista regime,” referring to Hugo Chavez and the government structure he established in Venezuela and Maduro inherited after taking office in 2013. He cautioned that the opposition may have “adaptive agents” within it that remain sympathetic to Maduro’s party.
“The opposition has always been filled with what the Venezuelans call “enchufados,” which is a Spanish term for those who are “plugged into” the regime,” Humire said. “These are fake opposition members that have back-door business and political deals with the Maduro regime.”
“My concern is that these “enchufados” will either a) shift the narrative to one that legitimizes Maduro’s electoral fraud; and/or b) subvert the transition process in Venezuela even if Edmundo Gonalez is accepted as the president-elect,” he warned.
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Isaias Medina III, a former United Nations Security Council diplomat and Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital that the “massive marches” in Venezuela this week “reflect a grassroots demand for change,” but he also acknowledged the steep challenge that comes with “challenging a cruel regime willing to use force against its population.”
“Venezuelan politics requires profound renovation,” Medina said. “Regrettably, an exit strategy for Venezuela is necessary. However, is it truly Maduro’s decision to agree to any negotiation or amnesty proposal? Numerous dubious stakeholders manipulate Venezuela’s lost sovereignty, turning the situation into a transnational crisis threatening regional peace and security.”
“Venezuela needs a new political approach free from “politiqueros” who prioritize personal gain over national welfare and from governmental paternalistic policies: governments must serve its citizens not the other way around,” he argued. “The focus must shift towards education, job opportunities, and a real representative congress to debate issues and find effective solutions.”
“If Gonzalez and Machado cannot solve the “ousting” of the puppet usurper in “Miraflores” (the Venezuelan White House), they will struggle to rebuild the country,” he insisted. “However, I hope they prove me wrong.”
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“Venezuela needs more than messianic “Presidents”; it requires a transitional government with a strong purpose to restore the rule of law, reverse distorted governance, and evict illegal pirate occupants,” Medina added.
“Real change requires integrating merit-based qualified individuals across sectors and transforming the state’s paternalistic socialist practices into self-development opportunities for a poverty-stricken nation with abundant resources,” he stressed. “Venezuela needs a “New Way” away from 21st-century socialism that effectively combines citizen-public-private policies with economic development incentives.”