Years of dictatorship have forced millions of Venezuelans to flee their homeland, escaping the misery imposed by the regime. Many have found a new home in Costa Rica, and today they will gather to protest the electoral fraud orchestrated by the Maduro regime.
More than 300 cities, both inside and outside Venezuela, will host a series of marches this Saturday, August 17, to continue defending the elections in the South American country.
In the Costa Rican capital, the Venezuelan community will protest starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Plaza de la Democracia. Across the globe, peaceful protests have been organized, with participants carrying tally sheets from their voting centers to underscore the victory of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
“The organization is being led by Comando Venezuela. They are a group of citizens that form part of the Unitary Platform. These are political leaders who have come together to establish this command,” explained the former Venezuelan ambassador to Costa Rica, María Faría.
Faría, a leading voice of the Venezuelan diaspora in Costa Rica, emphasized that the demonstration is not only for her compatriots. “All citizens are being called, not just Venezuelans. This is about Human Rights, democracy, and ensuring that the decision of the Venezuelan people is respected,” she added.
The Costa Rican government declared the process fraudulent, and the Legislative Assembly also denounced Maduro’s supposed triumph. The country has offered asylum to opposition leaders María Corina Machado and González Urrutia in the face of threats of arrest by the Maduro regime.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro as re-elected president for a third six-year term, with 51% of the votes, against 44% for Gonzalez Urrutia, his main opponent.
Nonetheless, the opposition claims to have copies of more than 80% of the tally sheets, showing that Gonzalez Urrutia obtained 67% of the votes.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called for several demonstrations and has asked for international support to overthrow the dictatorship.
“We must remain firm, organized, and mobilized. The world will witness the strength and determination of a society committed to living in freedom,” Machado said.
