Venezuela: Machado Claims Victory in Opposition Primary

Facts

• Former lawmaker María Corina Machado, given her lead in the vote count, declared victory in the Venezuelan opposition's presidential primary held Sunday to choose a unity candidate to run against Pres. Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 elections.¹
• 'Today I received a mandate,' Machado said at her campaign headquarters after the Organizing National Primary Commission announced she had received 93% of the votes from 20M eligible voters, with only 26% of ballots counted.²
• Machado, a fierce Maduro critic, is considered the candidate most likely to defeat the incumbent president.³
• The government has issued a 15-year ban on Macharo from running for office over alleged fraud and tax violations — allegations the politician denies.⁴
• In response to the deal, the US last week lifted sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas, and gold sectors for six months. However, Washington demanded that Caracas provide a concrete timetable for the admission of all candidates to the presidential election or risk the reimposition of punitive measures.⁵
• Despite being disqualified from running for office, 56-year-old Machado on Monday promised to remove 'Nicolás Maduro and his regime' from power in the upcoming presidential elections and 'begin the reconstruction of our nation.'⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²France 24, ³The New York Times, ⁴El País English, ⁵Washington Post and ⁶La Prensa Latina Media.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by MercoPress. The sweeping victory of liberal Macharo in the self-managed primaries proves that Venezuelans will not be intimidated from exercising their democratic rights. The ban imposed on Macharo is a sign of the Maduro regime's weakness and shows that Caracas fears the will of the people. Venezuelans are demanding change, and the first step in reclaiming their country and ending the era of 'chavismo' has been taken. The US will stand with the Venezuelans on their path to freedom and a self-determined future.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by World Socialist Web Site. The Maduro government banned Machado from running for office because the US-backed candidate was a supporter of the disastrous sanctions against Venezuela and an advocate of military intervention for regime change. The US-Venezuela deal on 'free and fair' elections is nothing more than a new attempt at blackmail to bring Washington's desired candidate to power after all attempts to topple Maduro have failed. The US is not concerned with Venezuelans but with its geopolitical interests.

Predictions