In Venezuela, Democracy Must Win
In Venezuela, Democracy Must Win
"The Venezuelan people deserve more," writes AS/COA's Susan Segal in El Nacional, El Tiempo, El Universal, La Nación and Listín Diario.
These are very sad days for Venezuela and for Latin America. It is a tragedy when governments, left or right, don’t stand up for democracy.
I began my career and my love for Latin America in Venezuela over 40 years ago. The country was safe, democratic and prosperous. Today, it is none of the above. And as citizens’ wishes at the ballot box are being ignored, they are instead voting with their feet.
Over 8 million people have left the country and given the election result at least another 4 million are expected to immigrate. And they are immigrating to find work, basic healthcare, education for their children as well as food and clean water. Things that we take for granted and are top of mind on all our agendas.
Leaders of the opposition have been jailed, tortured and practically speaking expelled. And now the Maduro regime is accusing Maria Corina Machado of electoral sabotage. It is so clear that the opposition was going to win the election and ultimately, won the election. It is only President Maduro and others in the regime that will not recognize the result. If the polls were not so starkly in favor of the opposition, the Maduro government would have allowed international observers including former Presidents from the Hemisphere. Did no one notice that Alberto Fernandez, the former President of Argentina was disinvited as an observer when he indicated that he would go with the actual results of the election, the will of the people.
And now people are in the streets protesting the results of the election. They seem to know more than the world is willing to recognize. They are very clear for whom they voted. How many more people will need to die or be arrested before we all stand together in the name of democracy?
The Venezuelan people deserve more, and we the democracies of the Hemisphere need to support them in their quest.
Read the article in El Nacional from Venezuela.
Read the article in El Tiempo from Colombia.
Read the article in El Universal from Mexico.
"El pueblo venezolano merece más", escribe Susan Segal de AS/COA en El Nacional, El Tiempo, El Universal, La Nación y Listín Diario.
