In his most direct criticism of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Colombian President Gustavo Petro referred to the regime’s disqualification of María Corina Machado as an “undemocratic coup.” Petro’s statement against the Venezuelan leader was made Monday night in Bogotá’s Casa de Nariño, where he stated that “the right to choose is not only individual. It belongs to society, and today this discussion is clearly evidenced in the events in Venezuela concerning Mrs. María Corina (Machado) and others before her.”
During the swearing-in ceremony of magistrate Gloria Gómez, Petro emphasized that “the democratic point is to maintain the political rights of all citizens, regardless of whether their ways of thinking or believing change over time.” The Colombian President’s criticism of Venezuela’s 2024 election process comes less than a week after Machado strategically rallied support from the Latin American left to back the official opposition candidate Corina Yoris.
As a stalwart defender of democratic principles, Machado has amplified her message through the power of public discourse and has even managed to receive support for “fair and democratic elections” in Venezuela from Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Petro’s recent vocal opposition to Nicolás Maduro’s electoral maneuvers has provided a crucial boost to Machado’s cause, underscoring the importance of cross-border solidarity. “I thank Presidents @EmmanuelMacron, @LulaOficial, and @petrogustavo for their positions that reaffirm that our struggle is just and democratic,” stated Machado on the social media platform X.
“While we see how international concern increases, I call on democratic leaders of the world to join the efforts of presidents and governments in demanding that the Maduro regime allow the registration of Corina Yoris as a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections,” Machado reiterated. Central to Machado’s appeal is the invocation of the Barbados Agreement, a capstone accord aimed at establishing the framework for unfettered electoral participation in Venezuela. “We call on all democratic leaders of the world to support the full implementation of the Barbados Agreement, signed just a few months ago, to achieve free and fair elections in Venezuela,” stated the opposition leader.
Petro has, until only recently, begun to shift his narrative against Maduro, a sign that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is directly—or indirectly—applying pressure on the Colombian leader to convince Maduro to uphold the Barbados Accord or face the prospect of a U.S. response in terms of reinstating sanctions.
Timing for Presidents Petro, Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now critical as the U.S. must decide by April 18 which course of action to take regarding the regime, given that sanctions could raise the price of gas at U.S. pumps and accelerate the illegal migration crisis at the southern border, both unpopular moves as U.S. Democrats enter a contentious election season against the Republicans’ single candidate Donald J. Trump.
With right-wing presidents ensconced in Argentina, Ecuador, and El Salvador, and Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro a close political ally of Trump, should the GOP clinch the November 5 election, Colombia’s Petro could quickly become Latin America’s odd man out. So far, the only way to salvage two more years of being politically relevant to Washington, especially should Trump win, is to ratchet up the “democratic” rhetoric against the last South American dictator.
