By Jean Douy Christ··an average:
from right to left
Many Venezuelans had hoped to finally deal with authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro at the ballot box. But against all expectations, the electoral commission declared Maduro the winner. “Of course we don’t believe it, there was fraud.”
Maduro has been in power for twelve years. Under his rule, Venezuela has become less free and the economy has completely collapsed. No wonder he is so unpopular with the population.
Opinion polls before and after the election showed opposition leader Edmundo González winning a landslide victory, taking about 70 percent of the vote. However, the electoral commission, led by Maduro’s cronies, declared the incumbent president the winner. He would have won 51.2 percent of the vote.
“The gap between the polls and the results is huge,” says Patricio Silva, a professor of Latin American history at Leiden University. “In addition, the results came out six hours late. Why did it take so long? Why weren’t the results for every municipality or constituency? This is not transparent at all.”
“It’s very sad,” says Venezuelan Wilker Paredes Pernia, 26. “But we already knew this was going to happen. Autocrats don’t give up power easily.” Wilker came to the Netherlands in 2019 to study at a conservatory.
Wilker tried to vote from the Netherlands. “I am registered with the consulate and had to pay to register as a voter. But I have not succeeded yet. Officially I do not know why, but I can guess. It makes me sad, am I less Venezuelan than the others?”
Wilker is one of an estimated eight million Venezuelans who have fled their country. That’s more than 20 percent of all Venezuelans. Many live in other South American countries like Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
“The consequences for other Latin American countries are dire. They fear that a larger influx of migrants will begin,” says Professor Silva. “For these countries, the Venezuelan issue has also become a national issue.”
For this reason, many Latin American countries have urged Maduro to accept his loss, or at least be transparent about the results.
“Maduro doesn’t have many friends anymore,” says Iblis Engelhardt, 46. The Venezuelan has lived in the Netherlands for a long time and is a representative of Viva Venezuela, an organization committed to her homeland.
She has a lot of contact with people in Venezuela. “Everyone there is nervous. You feel it on your lips, it’s really in the air,” says Ibeles. “The population is completely fed up with Maduro, the entire electoral system is full of fraud. And of course we don’t believe anything about his victory.”
Like Welker, Iblis was not surprised by Maduro’s attempt to manipulate the outcome. “But if he doesn’t resign now, he will in a few months,” he added. “He no longer has support among the population, and that cannot be changed.”
The coming period will be exciting.
“It’s the regime’s turn now,” Silva says. “They will have to provide proof that Maduro won. That will be difficult. In any case, he has lost a lot of legitimacy. He has made it almost impossible for the opposition to participate in the elections.”
Iblis feels the fighting spirit: “I haven’t seen people in Venezuela this determined in a long time. That gives me hope.” Welker also sees it: “Something has changed, a lot of people have mobilized. I think this is the beginning of the end for the Maduro regime.”
Do you already have the RTL News & Entertainment app?
Yes? We are happy about that!
Not yet? Download it here for Android and iOS.
