Maria Corina Machado, the presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform, took the opportunity during a demonstration in Caracas’ Altamira Square on January 23, 2024, to call for the international community to impose more consequences on the repression by the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking at a discussion organized by the think tank CSIS, Machado highlighted the recent detention of activist Rocío San Miguel as an example of the repression carried out by the Maduro regime. The Venezuelan government justified the arrest by alleging that San Miguel was involved in a plot to attack Maduro and other high officials.
Machado, who was banned from participating in the upcoming elections by the Supreme Court of Justice, accused the Venezuelan Executive of seeking to create chaos in the population and strip the people of their power.
She emphasized that the government’s actions are a desperate attempt to maintain legitimacy and resources, and that they have not yet considered the possibility of losing power.
The United States, which has been pressuring Venezuela to hold free and fair elections, has indicated that it will wait until April to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on the South American country. The Biden Administration had previously suspended sanctions on oil and gas, but due to the lack of progress, it has decided to reimpose sanctions on the gold sector and warned that oil and gas licenses granted to Venezuela will expire on April 18 if the situation does not improve.
Machado’s call for international action and the ongoing pressure from the United States reflect the continuing efforts to push for democratic change in Venezuela.
As the political situation in Venezuela remains tense, the international community and the Venezuelan people are closely watching to see how the Maduro regime will respond to these demands for change.