Venezuela “is counting on you”, says opponent Gonzalez

Venezuelan opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in exile since the July presidential election in which he claimed victory, called on the world's democracies to support him, receiving the Sakharov Prize on Tuesday in Strasbourg.

This prize, the European Union's highest for human rights, “symbolizes the unity between the world's democrats, who today need each other more than ever,” he told the European Parliament. in Strasbourg.

“Venezuela is counting on you, because the fight for freedom and democracy in our country is also the fight for these values ​​throughout the world.”

“Long live free Venezuela!” he concluded to applause.

The re-election of Nicolas Maduro (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, PSUV) on July 28, for a third six-year term, was strongly contested by the opposition, which estimates that its candidate won with more than 67% of the votes. votes.

The Sakharov Prize was awarded to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom the European Parliament recognizes as the democratically elected president of Venezuela, as well as to Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, who has been living in hiding since the election.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola praised their “tireless efforts to restore freedom and democracy to Venezuela and ensure a fair, free and peaceful transition of power.”

She condemned the Maduro regime for “the numerous brutal and cruel attempts to silence the democratic voices of millions of Venezuelans”, “issuing an arrest warrant against the president-elect”, and “imprisoning thousands of political prisoners in inhumane conditions.

“This award is a tribute to all Venezuelans who have decided to be free,” said Maria Corina Machado, citing in particular “those who are today hidden, exiled, in prison.”

“You show us today that we are not alone and that never, ever will the fight for freedom be in vain. Now is the time to act decisively. We need parliaments and governments to this decisive moment”, added Maria Corina Machado, who spoke by videoconference.

“Beginning of a new era”

The United States, Europe and many Latin American countries do not recognize the re-election of Nicolas Maduro.

While his swearing-in for the 2025-2031 term is scheduled for January 10, he called on his supporters “to take to the streets by the millions to take an oath to Venezuela, to independence, to the Bolivarian homeland.”

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, exiled in Spain, for his part announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to “take up his functions”.

In an interview with AFP on Monday, he said he hoped for the “start of a new era” upon his return to the country on January 10.

“We are impatiently waiting for January 10, the date on which our elected president will take power,” Ana Corina Sosa, daughter of Maria Corina Machado whom she represented in Strasbourg, also told AFP.

She assured that her mother, who has lived in hiding since the election, “will be by his side when he does.”

“Whatever the government has in store for us, we will be resilient. We will move forward and make our voices heard on January 10,” she added.

Endowed with 50,000 euros, the Sakharov Prize is named after Soviet dissident and nuclear physicist Andreï Sakharov, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1975.

Several winners of this prize have also received the Nobel Peace Prize, such as the Pakistani Malala Yousafzaï or Nelson Mandela.

In addition to the Sakharov Prize, Maria Corina Machado, 57, received the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize from the Council of Europe in September.