Opposition warns of refugee drama
Venezuelan President Maduro announces blocking of social network
09.08.2024, 03:30 am
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Ruler Maduro apparently has no intention of allowing his election victory to be called into question. He has announced that a social network will be blocked. The opposition is warning of an immense exodus if the president remains in office.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced a ten-day blockade of the online service X in the South American country. The state authority responsible for telecommunications will shut down the network formerly known as Twitter in Venezuela for ten days, Maduro said on Thursday. This was his proposal. Maduro had previously accused X owner Elon Musk of an “attack” on his re-election.
Maduro’s election victory, certified by the party-line electoral authority, is being questioned both domestically and internationally because no detailed results have been published. Since the election at the end of July, there have been several large demonstrations in Venezuela and violent clashes between police and opposition members. The USA recognised the opposition candidate Edmundo Gónzalez as the winner. According to counting records, which the opposition relies on, Maduro lost the election by a large margin.
Opposition leader Machado hugs a child during a large demonstration in Caracas last Saturday. Next to her is the poster of candidate Edmundo González
(Photo: REUTERS)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado warned of an unprecedented “wave of emigration” to Mexico if Maduro remains in office. “If Maduro decides to stay in power by force (…) we will see a wave of migration like we have never seen before,” Machado told Mexican journalists in a video conference.
She estimated that “three, four, five million Venezuelans” would flee to Mexico “in a very short time”. It is still possible to “reverse” the development and prevent what she believes would be “the largest exodus of Venezuelans”. Many Venezuelans had hoped that their family members who had already fled would return to their homeland and their families after an election victory for the opposition and better living conditions.
Machado appeals to Mexico
The opposition leader called on Mexico to work towards a negotiated solution between Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition. Mexico has “great power because it has a direct channel to the regime” of Maduro. She hopes that the Mexican government is aware of its “enormous responsibility,” Machado added. Mexico’s left-wing government has so far refrained from criticizing the electoral process in Venezuela and refused to attend a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) on the subject.
Last week, Venezuela’s electoral authority, which is largely loyal to the government, officially declared Maduro, who has been in power for more than ten years, the winner of the presidential election, despite international criticism and allegations of fraud by the opposition. After the election results were announced, protests broke out, which the security forces responded to violently.
Numerous countries, including Germany and the USA, expressed great concern about the situation and called on Venezuela to immediately publish all election documents. Various countries in the region did the same. Only a few allied countries such as Iran, Cuba and Russia recognized Maduro as the election winner.