The president of Colombia Gustavo Petro described the disqualification of María Corina Machado from running for the presidency of Venezuela as an “anti-democratic coup” – 2024-04-04 19:41:52

During the investiture of State Counselor Gloria María Gómez Montoya, President Gustavo Petro stressed the need to preserve the right to choose, be elected and participate on equal terms with the State, emphasizing that this right is fundamental for the entire society.

However, it was in his statements about María Corina Machado where his words resonated most strongly. Petro highlighted the case of Machado in Venezuela as an example of the violation of political rights. He mentioned that she was disqualified from participating in electoral campaigns by administrative authorities, a situation that he compared to the one he faced in Colombia.

Vehemently, the president stated that what happened to María Corina Machado is a clear manifestation of the violation of political rights. He expressed concern about how authorities in Venezuela took steps to silence her, which he interpreted as an attempt to restrict her participation in the political sphere.

“(…) the right to choose is not only individual. She is from society and today this discussion is very well evident in the events of Venezuela to Mrs. María Corina (Machado) and others previously: she was disqualified from participating in electoral campaigns by administrative authorities.

Furthermore, he made a comparison between Leopoldo López’s inability to participate in politics and – in his opinion – what “almost” happened to Petro in Colombia when he was going to run for the presidency for the third time.

“Leopoldo López was disqualified in Venezuela. Exactly the same thing that they wanted to disqualify me here,” he emphasized.

Petro highlighted that Machado’s situation reflects a latent reality in many countries in the region, where public administration has been used to restrict the political rights of citizens. He emphasized that these acts undermine fundamental democratic principles and affect not only individuals, but also the entire society.

In addition, he called to reflect on the double standards in the treatment of these cases. He pointed out that if the violation of political rights in Venezuela is criticized, the similar problems that exist in Colombia and other countries in the region must also be recognized and addressed.

In the middle of his words, Petro urged to defend political rights in all their fullness and to expand the discussion to include other fundamental aspects, such as women’s rights, environmental protection and social and cultural rights.

Machado spoke about Petro and his statement against the veto in elections in Venezuela
On January 26, it was learned that María Corina Machado, the main opponent of the Maduro regime, had her 15-year inability to hold public office ratified by the Supreme Court of Venezuela.

Under this premise, Machado decided to delegate responsibility to the historian Corina Yoris, nominating her as an aspiring candidate to confront Chavismo; However, the candidate has reported obstacles to registering for the elections:

“We have exhausted all means at our disposal so that this can be resolved (…). We even went in person to the National Electoral Council (CNE) and we couldn’t,” said Yoris, in the middle of a press conference.

Faced with these alleged irregularities in the July elections, the opposition and different political leaders in Latin America have asked for a massive statement from the governments and the international community to exert pressure on the Chavista regime:

“(…) we wish to call on the presidents and leaders of the democratic countries of America so that, through the diplomatic means at their disposal, they contribute to ensuring that the Venezuelan government – which calls itself popular – does not deny the people of Venezuela the opportunity for its candidate Corina Yoris to register to compete in the next presidential elections.”

For this reason, different leaders have expressed “concern” about the political and democratic situation in Venezuela; among them the president of Colombia Gustavo Petro:

“Colombia expresses its concern about the recent events that occurred on the occasion of the registration of some presidential candidacies, particularly in relation to the difficulties faced by majority sectors of the opposition – such as the Democratic Unitary Platform and the Vente Venezuela Movement, among others –, which which could affect the confidence of some sectors of the international community in the transparency and competitiveness of the electoral process that will culminate with the presidential elections on July 28,” reads the statement published by the Colombian Foreign Ministry, and which caused a wave of reactions, among them that of President Maduro himself and his Foreign Minister Yván Gil.