Sebastian Albuquerque, 9th Grade

Recently in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, has used his power to jail and exile many of his opponents, such as Juan Guaidó, who declared himself acting president in 2019, and Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election. This just adds to the worries of the citizens who desire free elections.

Maria Corina Machado won the opposition’s presidential primary in October 2023 with more than 90% of the votes. The government announced a 15-year ban on her running for office just days after she formally entered the race in June 2023, accusing her of fraud, tax violations, and seeking the economic sanctions imposed by the US on Venezuela.

The Juan Guaido case is another instance of Maduro’s repression of his political rivals. Guaido was the leader of the National Assembly and he declared himself the president of Venezuela in January 2019, after Maduro’s re-election was widely disputed and denounced as fraudulent. Guaido was recognized by more than 30 countries, including the US and Canada, as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, and received economic and diplomatic support from them.

Despite several attempts to mobilize the military and the people against him, Guaido failed to overthrow Maduro. His government accused Guaido of treason, terrorism, and plotting a coup, and issued several arrest warrants against him.

Maduro has used different methods to eliminate his political rivals and consolidate his power in Venezuela. By doing so, he has been able to manipulate the electoral system and secure illegitimate victories in the polls. This has prolonged his authoritarian rule over the country, despite the widespread discontent and suffering of the Venezuelan people. His regime has faced international sanctions, protests, and a humanitarian crisis, but he has refused to step down or negotiate with the opposition.