“Venezuelans are sending a clear message to the world. Venezuela will become a free nation!”
Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, 59 years old, declared this on the 18th at the Puerta del Sol Plaza in central Madrid, the capital of Spain. Thousands of Venezuelan diasporas who had left their homeland cheered and waved Venezuelan flags in response. This scene was interpreted as a signal that the “legitimacy competition” over the next Venezuelan leadership has entered an all-out phase.
Machado moved to the plaza immediately after meeting with Madrid Governor Isabel Diaz Ayuso and greeted supporters directly before delivering her speech. With her hair tied back, she continued her speech in a powerful voice, and cheers erupted across the Puerta del Sol Plaza, a symbol of Madrid. Approximately 700,000 Venezuelan immigrants have formed a community in Spain, which shares the same language. According to the UN Refugee Agency and others, at least 7.9 million people fled their homeland between 2014, the year after President Nicolas Maduro took office, and last year due to political persecution and economic hardship.
Machado, who gained international recognition by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize last year for resisting the Maduro regime’s tyranny, has recently been conducting “presidential-level diplomatic efforts” across Europe. She held successive meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and others, appealing for support for Venezuela’s democratization. This is seen as an attempt to pre-emptively establish her image as the “next leader” in the international community. By presenting specific policy plans, including the resumption of the International Monetary Fund’s economic monitoring and calls for early elections, she is solidifying her position as a de facto next leader. It is also reported that she is coordinating plans for her return and transfer of power in cooperation with the United States and others.
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Meanwhile, the axis of power within Venezuela is interim President Delcy Rodríguez, 57 years old. Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s No. 2 (vice president), inherited the presidency under the acquiescence of U.S. President Donald Trump after Maduro was ousted in a U.S. military operation last January. In this context, the New York Times reported that Rodríguez has recently begun consolidating her own power. Over the past three months, she replaced 17 ministers and purged key figures and close associates from the Maduro regime, signalling a full-scale effort to “erase Maduro’s influence.” Within the existing power structure, there is a growing trend of abandoning anti-American stances and aligning with the new power to survive.
This “purge politics” is widely analysed as being driven by U.S. pressure. Trump has administration andic relations with Venezuela, strengthened cooperation with the Rodríguez administration, and raised pressure by hinting at the possibility of additional military action if there is non-cooperation.
The Venezuelan Constitution limits the term of an interim president to a maximum of 180 days in the absence of a president. The Rodríguez administration has now passed the halfway mark. As the expiration date of the interim system approaches, observations suggest that competition for leadership between factions led by Rodríguez and Machado will intensify over the transfer of power and election schedules.
Professor Ha Sang-seop of the National Diplomatic Academy said, “Governance legitimacy is ultimately secured through elections,” and added, “As the Rodríguez interim system approaches its end, public opinion calling for elections is likely to spread, making it possible for a presidential election to be held this year.” He also noted, “Colombia and Brazil, Venezuela’s neighbouring countries, will hold presidential elections in May and October, respectively,” and predicted, “Voices among Venezuelans will increasingly erupt, saying, ‘Democracy in neighbouring countries is so active, but what are we doing?’”
MSN
