In Venezuela, President Maduro rules out any negotiations with the opposition

Photo: Federico Parra Agence France-Presse Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to the media alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, after appearing before the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) in Caracas on August 9, 2024, amid growing international pressure for him to release the results of the July 28 election, which the opposition says was fraudulent.

Patrick Fort – Agence France-Presse and Javier Tovar – Agence France-Presse in Caracas, Venezuela

Published yesterday at 11:42 AM Updated yesterday at 9:17 PM

• Americas

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose re-election is contested, on Friday ruled out any “negotiation” with the opposition as he left the Supreme Court, which he appealed to to validate his victory, calling on opposition leader Maria Corína Machado to surrender.

“As for negotiation, I think the only person who should negotiate with Machado in this country is the attorney general,” Maduro said, answering questions from journalists.

“Let her go to justice and answer for the crimes she committed. That's really the only negotiation possible here,” he added.

“We are the majority, we are the joy and we will continue to govern this country in peace and democracy,” the president stressed.

With Maduro's appearance, the Supreme Court of Justice has finished hearing the candidates and political leaders it had summoned. Its president, Caryslia Rodriguez, had indicated on Monday that the Court had “15 extendable days to give its decision.”

“What the TSJ [Supreme Court of Justice] says will be the law of the Republic, it will be a sacred sentence,” said Maduro.

Edmundo González Urrutia, summoned on Wednesday, did not go to court, saying that by going, he was risking his “freedom, but also, more importantly, the will of the people” expressed in the July 28 election.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Maduro's victory by 52% of the vote on August 2, without making public the exact count of the ballots and the minutes of the polling stations, claiming to have been the victim of computer hacking.

According to the opposition, which published the minutes obtained through to his scrutineers – whose validity is rejected by Mr Maduro – Edmundo González Urrutia, who had replaced Ms Machado at short notice, declared ineligible, won the election with 67% of the votes.

The opposition and many observers believe that the hacking by the CNE is a pretext invented by the government to not publish the electoral documents. On Friday, President Maduro dismissed these accusations: “It is public knowledge that the cyberattack was brutal. Thirty million attacks per minute on the electronic systems of the CNE and today of Venezuela. »

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Ms. Machado called for “a negotiation for the democratic transition” in voice messages sent to Agence France-Presse, evoking “guarantees, safe conducts and incentives for the parties involved, that is, [for the members] of the regime that was defeated in this presidential election.”

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Maduro has “lost his legitimacy”

“Maduro has completely, absolutely, lost his legitimacy,” Maria Corína Machado said. “All Venezuelans and the whole world know that Edmundo González won hands down and that Maduro intends to impose the biggest fraud in history.”

Two new opposition leaders, Williams Dávila and Américo De Grazia, have been arrested, Mr. De Grazia’s family and the opposition coalition announced on Thursday, with the latter denouncing an “escalation of repression.”

Ms. Machado and Mr. González Urrutia have been in hiding for more than a week, with the former even saying she feared for her life.

Brazil, Colombia and Mexico said they took note of the process initiated by the TSJ, but insisted on “the transparent disclosure of the results,” according to a joint statement on Thursday, while reiterating “their willingness to support dialogue efforts.”

President Maduro said on Friday that he was available “24 hours a day, every day” to speak with the leaders. of the three countries.

The United States recalled Friday that “only dialogue, not repression, can allow Venezuela to return to democratic norms,” in a statement from the United States Embassy – based in Colombia – on X calling to the release of detained opponents.

Thursday evening, President Maduro announced that the X network was suspended for ten days. A measure implemented around 9:30 p.m. local time.

“No one will silence me, I will face the espionage of the technological empire. Elon Musk […] violated all the rules of the social network Twitter, now X, and violated them by inciting hatred and fascism,” said Nicolás Maduro, who regularly accuses the American billionaire of plotting against him. 60~/p>

Earlier this week, he had already castigated social networks, accusing them of attempting a “criminal cyberfascist coup d'état”, and also announced that he was withdrawing from WhatsApp.

The unrest that followed the proclamation of the outgoing president's victory left 24 dead, according to a report updated Tuesday by human rights organisations. Mr Maduro announced the death of two members of the National Guard and the arrest of more than 2,200 people.