Opposition leader María Corina Machado fears for her life and asks the international community for "an urgent agreement to facilitate the transition" in Venezuela

This Thursday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made an urgent call to the international community from underground to reject authoritarianism and support democracy.

In a  article published by the Wall Street Journal, titled "I can prove that Maduro was defeated", Machado exposes in detail the massive electoral fraud committed by the dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro and calls on other countries to join the Venezuelan people in facilitating the transition to democracy.

From underground

"I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro," Machado begins, underscoring the personal risk and oppression she faces.

The opposition leader explains that the official results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), controlled by Maduro and which proclaimed him the winner with 51% of the votes, are completely false.

Evidence of electoral fraud

Machado claims to have strong evidence that Maduro lost the presidential elections last Sunday in a landslide to Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition's presidential candidate, who would have obtained 67% of the votes against Maduro's 30%. "I know this to be true because I can prove it. I have receipts obtained directly from more than 80% of the nation’s polling stations", she affirms.

The opposition leader describes how her team, anticipating fraud, prepared to document and denounce any irregularities. Despite the regime's efforts to sabotage and derail her campaign, they managed to gather enough evidence to prove Gonzalez's victory. "We have known for years what tricks the regime uses. It was unthinkable that Mr. Maduro would concede defeat," he says, recounting how the dictatorship tried to prevent the contest even before the elections.

The rise of the opposition movement

Machado also recounts how her opposition movement grew in numbers and strength, managing to mobilize communities across the country, even in areas traditionally controlled by Chavismo. "Our people were like a tidal wave. They are tired of a quarter-century of divisiveness, hatred and ideology," he writes, highlighting the collective effort of more than a million volunteers who organized themselves into small campaign units to defend every vote.

Regime repression

The story notes that after the CNE announced the fraudulent result that gave Maduro as the winner with 51% of the vote, spontaneous protests broke out, especially in poor sectors of Caracas and other cities. The regime responded with violence. "State security forces have killed at least 20 Venezuelans, imprisoned more than 1,000, and forced 11 disappearances. Most of our team is currently in hiding (...) I could be captured as I write these words," he said.

Appeal to the international community

Machado concludes her article with an urgent call to the international community to not tolerate an illegitimate government and to support the transition to democracy in Venezuela. "We Venezuelans have done our duty. We have voted out Mr. Maduro. Now it is up to the international community to decide whether to tolerate a demonstrably illegitimate government. The repression must stop immediately, so that an urgent agreement can take place to facilitate the transition to democracy," Machado said, stressing the importance of the role countries have in Venezuela's path to freedom.

"I call on those who reject authoritarianism and support democracy to join the Venezuelan people in our noble cause. We won’t rest until we are free," she culminated.