On January 26, the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) of Venezuela confirmed the disqualification of María Corina Machado, which would prevent her from participating in any democratic process until 2036. In practice, this excludes her from participating in the 2024 presidential elections, in which that the opposition seeks to remove Nicolás Maduro from power.
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The measure has been taken as undemocratic, because the decision in the first instance, issued by the Comptroller’s Office, was assumed as a political attempt to silence the opposition. Machado is the strongest figure on the Venezuelan political scene and is considered the key to ending the Maduro regime.
Given the controversial determination of the TSJ, President Gustavo Petro has remained silent. There has not been a tweet or a public communication in which he refers to that situation. The absence of positions on this issue has been added to other events in which the Colombian government has not spoken out against the arbitrariness of the Venezuelan regime, including possible violations of human rights.
Bilateral meeting of presidents Gustavo Petro and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Saturday, November 18, 2023.
The questions have grown greater due to comparisons with other left-wing leaders who have condemned what happened in Venezuela. For example, the government of Chilean President Gabriel Boric issued a brief statement questioning the court’s decision.
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“The government of Chile expresses its concern about the situation that affects political leaders of the Venezuelan opposition who could be prevented from participating in the next presidential elections in that country,” says a statement from the Chilean Executive.
Likewise, several have recalled that President Gustavo Petro was present in Guatemala during the inauguration of Bernardo Arévalo and that he was one of those who pressured for the swearing-in ceremony to take place. He even classified what was done by the Prosecutor’s Office of that country as a “coup attempt.”
All this has caused different political and social sectors of the country to demonstrate demanding a voice from the Colombian State in the face of this situation.
“The complicit silence of President Gustavo Petro in the face of the attacks on democracy that are being committed in Venezuela is inadmissible,” said opposition senator David Luna, who directly questioned President Petro: “He likes to pose as an international leader but remains silent.” in the face of the injustices committed by his friends. Milei’s statements against Petro are just as reprehensible as Petro’s silence in favor of Maduro.”
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Representative Carolina Arbeláez, Luna’s party partner, spoke in the same vein. “Colombia cannot remain silent in the face of the serious violation of the political rights of the strong opponent María Corina Machado,” said the congresswoman.
Luis Ernesto Gómez, who was part of Claudia López’s cabinet and resigned to campaign for Gustavo Petro, was another of those who drew attention to the lack of public statements.
President Petro is accompanied by first lady Verónica Alcocer.
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“With the same vehemence that Colombia condemned the coup attempts in Guatemala a couple of weeks ago, it must condemn the electoral theft that Maduro is carrying out against María Corina,” said Gómez, who then concluded: “Democracy always defends itself.”
Former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was another of those who questioned the Colombian president: “All the democratic governments on the planet have supported María Corina Machado except Petro’s. This is not the government that represents the Colombians. We are democrats. We believe in the separation of powers and not puppet judges”
Renowned academics also joined the call for attention to the president. Rodrigo Uprimmy expressed his agreement with the opinion that the silence of Gustavo Petro’s government regarding the situation in Venezuela is “unacceptable.”
Yann Basset, political scientist and professor at the Universidad del Rosario, was another of those who questioned the assumed attitude. “Gustavo Petro and the Foreign Ministry are late to rule on the disqualification of María Corina Machado. “The defense of democracy is not credible if it is selective.”