With songs and prayers, Hundreds of Venezuelans protested this Saturday, August 3, in Bogotá, against the reelection of Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections in his country, from which nearly three million migrants have fled to Colombia.
“I want to go back to my country, I want to go back home. I feel frustration, but beyond this I also have faith.“he told the agency AFP Maudie Lopez, 43, on the verge of tears.
(See: Increased repression and violence in Venezuela after elections, NGOs warn).
Colombia is the main recipient of the exodus of Venezuelan migrants who fled their country due to the economic and political crisis. They blame the governments of Maduro (since 2013) and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez (2002-2013) for the collapse.
The protesters gathered at the Bolivar plaza with tricolor flags, banners reading “down with the dictatorship” and chanting “freedom, freedom.” They also sang their national anthem and prayed for change.
(See: Venezuela fights for its freedom).
“Maduro should hand over (power) and leave, it is the best, we do not want violence, just for him to leave, we only want peace“continued Lopez, who works in a crafts workshop.
In the midst of the protest, the voice of the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado came from the loudspeakers. The message, from a demonstration in Caracas, excited the people gathered in Bogotá. The opposition defends Edmundo González Urrutia’s victory in the presidential elections and denounces fraud.
Protests in Venezuela continued on Saturday, with thousands of demonstrators and the surprise appearance of Machado, who had last been seen on Tuesday. The opposition leader emerged from hiding due to death threats and led the protest in Caracas.
(See: Repression and imprisonment, Maduro’s radical escalation in Venezuela).
Venezuelans protest in Bogotá.
On a truck, dressed in a white T-shirt at a rally, she delivered the message that was heard in Bogotá: “We have never been so strong!“.
The United States and several Latin American countries recognize González Urrutia’s victory amid pressure for transparent scrutiny.
The presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, are pushing for a political agreement in Venezuela.
(See: Petro is reportedly working on a negotiation with Maduro, according to a government source).
“We have never been in a moment like this, in which there is really unity (…) that is why I believe that we will be able to definitively get out of this government.“said Claudia Fernández, a 45-year-old financial manager in Bogotá.
AFP
