10 de enero 2025
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The Comando Venezuela, the campaign team for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, denounced the “abduction” and subsequent release of political leader Maria Corina Machado after she led a protest in Caracas on the eve of Venezuela’s presidential inauguration.
In a social media post, the opposition group stated that the former deputy was “intercepted and pulled off the motorcycle she was riding” after leading a rally in the Chacao area of Venezuela’s capital.
“Firearms were discharged during the incident. She was forcibly detained. During her captivity, she was forced to record several videos before being released,” the statement added. This information was shared nearly two hours after her party, Vente Venezuela, reported that María Corina Machado had been “violently intercepted.”
The opposition leader’s detention occurred after leaving the protest she had called for on Thursday, January 9, 2025, to assert the landslide victory of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in the July 28th presidential elections. However, Nicolas Maduro refused to recognize his defeat, declaring himself the winner.
Maria Corina Machado reappeared on Thursday in Caracas, surrounded by thousands of supporters, after remaining in hiding since August 28, 2024, when she participated in another protest supporting Gonzalez victory.
More than four months after her last public appearance and a day before the presidential inauguration—both Maduro and Gonzalez have declared their intention to assume office. Machado appeared in public, as she had promised during a virtual press conference on January 7. Once again, she demanded recognition of the opposition’s victory in the July 28, 2024, elections.
Maria Corina Machado’s Call to Action
“I’ve never been prouder in my life. Across Venezuela, people have taken to the streets,” Machado declared upon arriving at the rally, where thousands had been waiting for hours.
She emphasized that the coming days would be “historic and decisive for the country’s freedom” as part of an “impressive” citizen movement.
“We are entering a new phase today. We have been preparing for these days and weeks,” Machado stated to the crowd.
Maria Corina Machado, the leading supporter of Edmundo Gonzalez, said the “end of the regime” depends on what happens on Friday, January 10, the day of the presidential inauguration. Maduro has confirmed his attendance to take the oath for a third consecutive six-year term.
The former deputy called on opposition supporters to remain mobilized “across Venezuela” with “serenity and determination,” and to demonstrate for the “struggle” and “achievement” of “freedom” with the same energy as on July 28, when she and the opposition coalition claimed that Gonzalez won by a wide margin.
This article was first published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.
