The former president of Colombia, Iván Duque, warned that the physical well-being of María Corina Machado could be in danger in the coming weeks. The former president spoke about the controversial elections and called on the international community to increase the security of the main opposition leader of Venezuela, who was disqualified as a candidate by the dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Duque spoke on Tuesday with NTN24, where he assured Maduro "limited and curtailed all the possibilities of María Corina Machado." In turn, the persecution received by the Venezuelan woman could lead to a potential illegal detention.
Existen fuertes rumores de que en las próximas semanas la integridad y la libertad de @MariaCorinaYA podrían estar en grave riesgo, ya que se estaría planeando una detención ilegal y un atentado contra su vida por parte del SEBIN.
Hago un llamado a la comunidad internacional… pic.twitter.com/oE0ZF25ZRH
— Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) March 27, 2024
"There are strong rumors that in the coming weeks, the well-being and freedom of María Corina Machado could be at serious risk since an illegal detention and an attack on her life by the SEBIN may be planned. I call on the international community to provide the necessary protection measures and support for the international delegations present in Venezuela," said Duque.
"It would show the interest that the dictatorship has in silencing any voice that represents a threat to its interests," he added.
The former Colombian president defined the upcoming Venezuelan elections as a "pantomime." "It is the dictatorship going to a process that it calls democratic where it controls absolutely everything, where they only let those candidates who serve their interests register. (...) What cannot happen is that the international community accepts the idea that what is important is the process and not the candidates when they are limiting any possible representation of those who genuinely represent the voice of change and rejection to a dictatorship," he added.
Los miembros del @GrupoLyD denunciamos nuevamente los obstáculos impuestos por el régimen de Maduro, que han impedido la inscripción de Corina Yoris como candidata presidencial. Esta acción viola los compromisos de los Acuerdos de Barbados. Instamos a la comunidad internacional a… pic.twitter.com/5YoPOs4pOv
— Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) March 26, 2024
Duque is part of the Idea Group, which includes former regional leaders who favor democracy in Latin America. Mauricio Macri, Ricardo Lagos, Vicente Fox, Mario Abdo, and Mariano Rajoy, among others, stand out among its members.
"The former heads of State and Government of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA), aware of the decision of the Venezuelan presidential candidate María Corina Machado to register the candidacy of the academic and university professor Dr. Corina Yoris, in the face of the fatal expiration of the deadline set by the dictatorship in order to control the electoral process and prevent the holding of democratic, free, fair and competitive presidential elections, in which it must participate; and after the announcement of this, in that it will continue to run through Venezuela in its fight for freedom, we condemn once again the unconstitutional disqualification that has been imposed on it and the kidnapping and imprisonment by the regime of its campaign command. We recognize it for its unshakable commitment to democracy and the firm decision to lead your nation toward the rescue of constitutionality, as you have announced. We demand that the guarantors of the Barbados Accords rise to the challenge posed by María Corina Machado and do not cease their actions so that Machado is authorized to run because she was the candidate chosen by the people in sovereign primary elections," they wrote recently in a joint statement on the situation in Venezuela.
After the refusal received from the electoral bodies, Machado chose Corina Yoris in her place, whom the regime will also not allow to participate in the next elections. The academic and teacher recently spoke with Voz Media about the electoral situation in the South American country.
