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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The writer is the leader of the Venezuelan opposition
There are a few days left until July 28. On that day, presidential elections will be held in Venezuela. After 25 years of struggle, Venezuelans are facing the best opportunity we have had so far to overcome a dictatorial regime that has destroyed our economy and forced a quarter of our population to emigrate.
Turning the upcoming elections into a real option for change has required extraordinary effort. A couple of years ago, Nicolás Maduro’s regime felt relatively secure. The pandemic served as an excuse to further restrict the civil and political rights of citizens, while investing heavily in a narrative — both domestically and internationally — that “Venezuela has been fixed”.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Only those who can evade the reputational cost of doing business with this criminal regime want Maduro’s presidency to continue. The future of Venezuela is very bleak if he stays in power. Venezuelans know this well. Change is a necessity on which we are placing all our hopes and investing all our efforts.
The opportunity for something new emerged in 2023 with my election as the opposition candidate to confront Maduro. It was vital to us that this primary election was conducted without interference from the National Electoral Council controlled by the regime, using manual voting and facilitating the participation of Venezuelans abroad.
After many sham elections, these primaries reconciled Venezuelans with the good electoral practices essential for effective voting. More than 2mn people participated in this process, marking a true turning point. The primaries revealed the reality that the government’s lies had hidden: Venezuelans were not complacent or apathetic, but outraged and willing to open a true electoral path for change.
Since then, Venezuela has witnessed unprecedented events. A massive citizens’ movement, as peaceful as it is powerful, has emerged from the remotest corners of the country. People have rallied to support a campaign that is censored by the national press, radio and TV, financially limited and harassed in multiple ways by the regime.
Maduro completely breached the agreement to organise free and fair elections reached between him and the opposition in Barbados on October 17 last year. The first blow came from disregarding the results of the primaries, disqualifying me from competing in the presidential race through rigged judicial procedures. Later on, without giving any reason, they also prevented my replacement, Corina Yoris, from registering as a candidate.
As of the time of writing, 24 members of our campaign staff have been jailed or are seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Caracas. Regime security forces are closing down businesses and raiding the homes of people who support us.
Despite all this, the citizens’ force continues to grow, now rallying around the candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia. All reasonably reliable polls show that twice as many voters, at worst, support González as the president. Maduro meanwhile claims he will stay “by hook or by crook”.
It’s clear to us that “by crook” means committing a massive fraud and unleashing repressive violence. It means closing off the possibility of peaceful and democratic change. It also means perpetuating Venezuela’s current situation as a sanctuary for organised crime and the hybrid warfare promoted by Iran and Russia. Millions more Venezuelan migrants will flood Latin America, North America and Europe, fleeing a predictably grim future.
Only the hope of peaceful electoral change can contain this new migration surge. Venezuelans do not want more hatred or violence. We are united in a desire for profound change. We know the regime cheats, and that is why we have put together the largest electoral monitoring organisation ever seen in our country and possibly in the entire region.
We are doing our part, and we need the determined support of democrats worldwide for the outcome of this election to be respected by the regime. That would encourage Maduro to engage in a negotiation for a peaceful transition to democracy.
Few countries have our potential. Under a democratic government, we could make our nation the energy hub of the Americas. The debt accumulated by chavismo could be restructured and paid off as we restore the rule of law.
Most importantly, our people, now separated, could reunite and live together in Venezuela again. The dream of so many Venezuelan children who ask me to bring their parents back after years of earning a living abroad, could become a reality. We must prevail and make Venezuela free again.