By: Ruth E. Hidalgo C. (Journalist)
Caracas August 1st, 2024
It all began on Sunday, October 22, 2023, when the citizens, still incredulous and with certain apathy, went once again to the hasty call for the primary election of the opposition candidate to compete with the candidate of the ruling party, the President of the Republic himself, Nicolás Maduro, because the Executive decided to bring forward the presidential elections from December to July of this year 2024, due to the economic, political and social crisis that the country is going through.
This noble and defenseless, almost hopeless, and despairing people, who believed by majority, in the unfulfilled promises of the author of this disaster and initiator of what was called “Socialism of the XXI Century’¨, Hugo Chávez Frías, today has awakened from the fictitious charm of the socialism described by him, where we would live in the sea of happiness. The greatest fortune of a rich country, the richest in Latin America, was squandered to become today, the poorest in the region.
It was then when, as if by magic, the connection between a woman who had already ventured into politics at a very young age, María Corina Machado, a young industrial engineer, deputy of the National Assembly, already known in the political world and by society in general, arose, but it was in this process of primary elections, when that “click” between MCM and the people took place spontaneously. From that moment on, the decimated, beaten and deceived citizenship went massively to vote, moved by the spring of hope for a 180 degree change in their way of life, in which they would not have to survive, but live in dignity with quality services, education, housing, health, recreation and leisure as every human being deserves. The result was astonishing, obtaining 90% of the votes, leaving amazed both locals and strangers.
The regime, incredulous at the size of the result, tried unsuccessfully to make these elections invisible with multiple obstacles day after day, time after time, and successfully overcome by MCM and her team of the Unitary Platform, to become the only valid option to compete in a presidential election.
However, having reached this point there was a big “but”, her political disqualification, totally arbitrary made by the regime without any valid support.
This is how the great electoral campaign began, traveling all over the country by land, since the dictatorship prohibited the use of airlines, something that she astutely turned into a “plus”, obtaining a magnificent connection with ordinary Venezuelans, from the countryside and the city, entrepreneurs, producers, with all social and age strata, with those who do not want to leave and those who want to return to their country.
They closed roads, she climbed hills on foot, she rode a curiara and sailed the Orinoco, she rode a horse when they did not sell gasoline, on a motorcycle when there was no car, she even reached the island of Margarita and we still do not know how… they stopped everyone who supported her with a vehicle, boat or hotel or restaurant where she stayed and where she ate. People ignored the fines and closures of businesses and establishments of the SENIAT.
This is how she is becoming a sort of heroine or Iron Lady, as she is already mentioned even in the international media.
On the other hand, the regime is in charge of the elaboration of the electoral ballot and the selection of the candidate of its party and of the groups that support it, the repeating and current President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro. The same happens with the Unitary Platform that groups the parties that make up the Democratic Unity and chooses as its representative to the elections the academic Corina Yoris, who is quickly objected and blocked by the Venezuelan electoral body CNE. This is when MCM nominates Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a total stranger to the country.
Who is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, people ask. An unknown figure, if he could really be the candidate accepted by the regime. The questions were cleared little by little and this figure of a 74-year-old man, calm, balanced, equanimous, career diplomat, retired, father of a family, middle class, discreet and restrained in his speech, became known.
The expectations of the acceptance of his candidacy were maintained until the end of the electoral contest, having carried out an atypical campaign and with all the limitations of the dictatorship. Zero publicity or participation in national radio media, no billboards, no flyers, no money, as we say in Venezuela, “a pelo”, with the participation of all Venezuelans who put their chest and desire to change dictatorship for democracy, oppression for freedom, sadness for joy, poverty for wealth, suffering for love.
Thus, in this way, Venezuelans, after having massively come out to the call of the homeland, to the call of the beloved, generous and prodigal land that has given us everything, and even after three days of having voted in a civic act, impeccable, with the greatest order and with overwhelming results of the ballot boxes, unequivocal and demonstrated, a step towards freedom and democracy, still, today we fight against the opprobrious regime, which unequivocally had the audacity to declare the winner to the man who is currently usurping the country, unequivocal and demonstrated, a step towards freedom and democracy, still, today we fight against the opprobrious regime, which without ambiguity, had the audacity, to declare the winner to the man who currently usurps the presidency of the Republic of Venezuela.
The noble Venezuelan people are sure to recover their freedom, that same freedom conquered by their liberators, who with their brave and determined ancestral character gave us the stamp of living in it.
Until the end!
