By CARACAS/MARACAY, Jan 9 (AfrikTimes) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was detained at a march in Caracas on Thursday in her first public appearance in months and her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, has called for her immediate release.
Machado’s detention is by far the most significant in a series of arrests of opposition figures after a disputed July election and bodes badly for Gonzalez’s promised return to the country ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for a third term.
Earlier, Machado’s Vente Venezuela movement said she was “violently intercepted” while leaving a march in eastern Caracas, and that the motorcycle caravan in which she was riding came under gunfire.
María Corina Machado (left) said the exile of the president-elect, Edmundo González (right) ‘changes absolutely nothing’ for the urgency and legitimacy of the opposition campaign. Photograph: Leonardo Fernández Viloria/Reuters.
The country’s electoral authority and top court say Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the July vote, though they have never published detailed tallies.
The government has accused the opposition of orchestrating fascist plots and has warned that Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns to Venezuela. Prominent opposition members and activists have been detained in the lead-up to Maduro’s inauguration.
Gonzalez, 75, has been on a tour of the Americas this week and met with U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump’s national security advisor. The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on reports of Machado’s arrest.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek Saab addresses the media, in Caracas, Venezuela January 26, 2024.
Venezuela’s Ministry of Information also did not immediately respond to questions about Machado’s whereabouts, while the attorney general said in a message to reporters he would not be commenting.
“Whatever they do, tomorrow they will finally bury themselves,” Machado said during the protest. “Let no one be in doubt, what they do tomorrow marks the end of the regime.”
Machado’s appearance marked her first public outing since August when she went into hiding at an unknown location. Machado, 57, had urged protesters to peacefully flood the streets and repeatedly asked members of the police and military – who guarded polling stations during the election – to back Gonzalez’s victory.
“I’m not afraid, I lost my fear a long time ago,” said 70-year-old Neglis Payares, a retired central bank worker, as she gathered with other opposition supporters in western Caracas in the morning.
AfrikTimes witnesses estimated that some 7,000 protesters had gathered in Caracas by around 2:20 p.m. local time. Thousands had similarly taken to the streets in the days after the disputed election.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a meeting of leaders of the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Treaty of Commerce and Promotion (ALBA-TCP), in Caracas, Venezuela December 14, 2024.
Nicolas Maduro, 62, has held power in Venezuela since 2013. He maintains strong backing from the armed forces and intelligence services, both of which are led by close allies of influential Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
‘WE HAVE NO WORK’
Security forces set up checkpoints around the country as opposition protests developed.
In the western oil city of Maracaibo, an opposition protest of dozens of people was quickly dispersed by motorcycle-mounted security forces by late morning. In central Valencia, protesters regrouped at another location after initially being met with tear gas. Opposition supporters also gathered in San Cristobal, near the border with Colombia, in the western city of Barquisimeto and in eastern Puerto Ordaz.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado greets supporters during a protest Saturday in Caracas.
“I’m here because we need to get rid of this government. We have no money, we have no work,” 62-year-old housewife Roisa Gomez said at a protest in the central city of Maracay. “They cannot steal the election.”
Shortly after her statement, security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters in Maracay.
Many of the demonstrators were of retirement age and said they wanted change so their migrant children and grandchildren would return to the country. More than 7 million Venezuelans live abroad.
The ruling party organized counter-marches across the country, images of which were broadcast on state television.
Supporters of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gather ahead of the Friday inauguration of Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025.
“We’ve come out to show that there is a democracy. On this side are the patriots who will be sworn in with Nicolas (Maduro), on the other side are fascists who want foreign intervention, war, to sell their country,” said 50-year-old Caracas motorcycle taxi driver Manual Rincon.
Edmundo Gonzalez, a prominent opposition figure, has repeatedly vowed to return to Venezuela but given no details about how. An arrest warrant was issued for him for alleged conspiracy, prompting his September flight to Spain.
Maria Corina Machado, another key opposition leader, is under investigation by the attorney general in at least two cases, though no public arrest warrant has been issued against her.
Government security forces patrol near supporters of Venezuela’s opposition ahead of the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro on Friday for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025.
The government has detained several high-profile politicians and activists, including a former presidential candidate. This week, the attorney general’s office said it had released more than 1,500 of the 2,000 people, including teenagers, detained during post-election protests.
Venezuelans living abroad also joined the protests, including in Madrid, where Gonzalez’s daughter, Carolina Gonzalez, spoke to hundreds of demonstrators.
“My dad sends a hug to all of you. Glory to the brave people of Venezuela,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
Supporters of Venezuela’s opposition gather ahead of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025.
