Henrique Capriles speaks at the launch of the opposition platform DECIDE, at Central University of Venezuela, April 3, 2025. Photo: X/@el_carabobeno.
In defiance of far-right politician María Corina Machado’s calls for electoral abstention, several sectors of the Venezuelan opposition have launched the platform Citizen Defense of Democracy Network (DECIDE) in order to participate in the upcoming elections.
At the first meeting of DECIDE, held at the Central University of Venezuela on Thursday, April 3, the speakers highlighted the importance of the opposition’s participation in the elections and condemned foreign interference.
Opposition politician Henrique Capriles highlighted the impact of the electoral victories of the opposition in 2007 and 2015. He also took a stand against the new US sanctions and criticized other opposition politicians for remaining silent amid attacks against Venezuelans abroad.
“Who wants our people to go through more hardship?” questioned Capriles. “What more sacrifices are going to be demanded from the people in this country? If the oil companies leave our country, we are going to return to the time of smuggling. To those who say, ‘take away the resources, because that is taking away the resources of the government,’ did we not learn from what we lived through a few years ago?”
Venezuela: Capriles Challenges María Corina Machado and Advocates for Electoral Participation
Elías Sayegh, current mayor of the municipality of El Hatillo, called for democratic participation as an effort to mitigate the effects of hate campaigns.
“Hatred has led us to lose the Republic itself,” he remarked. “Hatred has put us on the verge of losing our just claim over our Essequibo territory. Hatred has put us on the verge of losing our assets, our companies that we have abroad. They have made coexistence, democracy and peace no longer viable … We have to overcome hatred.”
Several figures of the right-wing opposition participated in this new attempt to unify the Venezuelan opposition, including Henri Falcón, journalist Vladimir Villegas, trade unionist Pablo Zambrano, activist Chúo Torrealba, politicians Elías Sayegh, Mercedes Malavé, and Marialbert Barrios.
(RedRadioVE) by Fransay Riera
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
