The Community of Madrid, Spain, honored women who face dictatorial systems to achieve freedom. One of the most prominent was Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, a presidential candidate in her country. Community of Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso presented the award at an event that took place at the office of the regional presidency.
Because Machado cannot leave Venezuela due to a measure from the regime that prevents her from visiting other countries, the recognition was received by her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado. After receiving the award from Díaz Ayuso, Sosa Machado spoke with Voz Media and maintained that the distinction is a way to honor the struggle of Venezuelans to achieve freedom for their country.
Furthermore, she pointed out that Venezuelans will continue to demand that free and fair elections be held in Venezuela:
It fills me with great pride and emotion to see how the Community of Madrid recognizes my mother's work. But it is also a recognition of the struggle of millions of Venezuelans for decades. About this year, which is a decisive one for our country in which we are going to continue fighting to have our right, which is free elections. I am very excited and very proud. Especially being able to celebrate it like this on International Women's Day.
Sosa Machado explained that Venezuelans chose her mother in the primary elections and that it should not be accepted that the Maduro regime tries to suppress a candidate. She highlighted that after the opposition leader obtained at least 90% of the votes in the opposition elections, Venezuelans inside and outside the country have become hopeful about achieving political change in the country.
However, Sosa Machado acknowledged that it will not be an easy path to achieve freedom. "We have some difficult months ahead, but with our heads held high we must move forward and achieve our goal. The message to Venezuelans is clear and my mother has said it repeatedly: we citizens spoke forcefully in the October primaries, and that has not changed. It is clear what the people said forcefully in the primaries and it must be respected," said Sosa Machado.
Similar was the position of Antonio Ledezma, former mayor of Caracas, who highlighted that the award that María Corina Machado received is a recognition of the struggle of Venezuelan mothers who face a complex humanitarian crisis.
"This is a recognition of the fight that Venezuelan women are giving and whose guide is María Corina Machado, who embodies the hope and dreams of women, which is that we can have the definitive reunion of the Venezuelan family," Ledezma said in conversation with Voz Media.
When Isabel Díaz Ayuso called me to inform me that they had decided to give her this award, of course it was something that moved María Corina very much, and the first thing she told me was that this is a recognition of the struggle of Venezuelan women, because what can women celebrate today? Women who have their children scattered outside of Venezuela or who know that their children are receiving a precarious education.
'María Corina's role is very important for those of us who defend liberal democracies'
At the event, the Community of Madrid highlighted the work of María Corina Machado in her fight for freedom. Her courage to confront a fierce regime like that of Nicolás Maduro was also recognized and it was insisted that Machado's participation in truly democratic elections should be allowed.
After presenting the award, Díaz Ayuso spoke about María Corina Machado's leadership and described how for years, the Venezuelan leader has not allowed herself to be intimidated by the Maduro regime. She stressed the importance of her courage to continue promoting political change in Venezuela and took the opportunity to send a message to the Venezuelans that have been persecuted by Maduro, assuring that Madrid is the place for those who are tried by dictatorships like that in Venezuela.
“María Corina Machado could be the first female president of Venezuela. But probably not. Because the Maduro dictatorship is restricting this possibility, not willing to leave power ... The role of María Corina Machado is very important for those of us who defend liberal democracies. There is a lot that this woman carries on her back. She is brave,” Ayuso said.
Furthermore, the president of Madrid referenced the latest statements by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. She described them as sexist. “His statements cause, in addition to contempt, machismo.”
A call to the supporters of democracy around the world
María Corina Machado spoke via video call with Díaz Ayuso and expressed her gratitude for the recognition. Furthermore, she maintained that the dictatorship intends to end the possibility of having free elections. For this reason, she insisted, it will be necessary for the international community to support Venezuelans in their desire to achieve a democratic process in which she can participate as a candidate.
“It is evident that the regime knows that the country has woken up. The entire social base that Chavismo once had has been dissuaded, the collapse and the human drama that ends up being socialism have been discovered. And that is why today we represent this strength,” said Machado.
Likewise, Machado warned that “tremendously challenging and dangerous days” are coming, and that is why she highlighted that more than ever they need voices like that of the president of Madrid and that of all the supporters of democracy across the world.
“We must trust in citizen strength when a nation is determined to win its freedom, and when what unites us is the longing to have our children back home, as all the women throughout our country tell me,” added Machado.
