Suspicions of fraud regarding the results of the elections in Venezuela are shaking international politics, particularly in the Americas. Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted in a statement in the early hours on the triumph of the democratic opposition against the proclamation of Nicolás Maduro, which was staged by the Chavista regime without complete data or transparency. "The United States must get their noses out of Venezuela because the sovereign people are the ones in charge," replied the reelected president.
In addition to the renewed crisis of legitimacy caused by the irregular development of the elections in Venezuela, there is political violence against those demanding respect for the expressed will of the voters. María Corina Machado, opposition leader, has announced that she fears for her life and has taken measures to protect herself. Both she and the candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, are committed to continue fighting and have called for rallies nationwide on Saturday.
"Proof of life"
On the other hand, Aurora Silva is the wife of Freddy Superlano, a prominent leader of the democratic opposition and leader in Venezuela of Voluntad Popular (VP), a party created by Leopoldo López, a former political prisoner. A candidate in last year's opposition primaries, Superlano withdrew from the race after expressing his support for María Corina Machado. Chavista agents violently detained him last Tuesday. Aurora Silva states, "We have no information about him since his arrest. I demand proof of life."
51 NGOs call for "total transparency"
On the other hand, a total of 51 NGOs in Venezuela requested this Thursday "total transparency" in order to "trust that the results" of Sunday's presidential elections - in which President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE) without all the ballots being counted - are "those expressed by the citizens."