Venezuela’s Electorate Pays the Price for Political Frictions Within the Opposition

By Misión Verdad – Apr 30, 2024

The internal crisis that the Venezuelan opposition is going through continues. This crisis is exacerbated by divisions and power conflicts within the Unitary Platform (PUD), despite the farce orchestrated to attempt to demonstrate cohesion after the selection of Edmundo González Urrutia as a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for July 28.

In order to cover up its problems, the opposition narrative has attempted to put the focus on the National Electoral Council as the cause of the unfortunate, spectacular, and tense internal friction that occurred during the process of selecting a candidate. This candidate, it is necessary to point out, is very far from the initial offer to the electorate: that the platform would carry out a popular consultation from which a single candidate would emerge. In reality, the lack of political leadership, disputes between opposition parties for power, and the defense of interests other than the voters have determined these events.

Knowing this, we can take stock of the result and how the correlation of forces has been in that fight for the leadership of the opposition represented in the PUD. Two figures are at the core of the debate: María Corina Machado and Manuel Rosales.

The divergence between the above reflects two different approaches within the Venezuelan opposition. Machado advocates a discourse of rupture and extremism, a position of open confrontation and violation of constitutional principles; Rosales, for his part, has chosen the path of dialogue, pact, and negotiation as means to achieve his political objectives.

Let us remember that, before the governor of the state of Zulia and his Un Nuevo Tiempo party withdrew their candidacy and announced their support for Edmundo González, there was a public confrontation that intensified as the deadline established by the CNE for the candidate’s replacement approached. Machado repeatedly accused her colleagues of “betrayal” for presenting alternative nominations, including Rosales. In contrast, the Zulia governor pointed to a smear campaign promoted by Vente Venezuela and accused Machado of inciting abstention and violence.

It is relevant to highlight this assessment in the current political landscape that has emerged from the dispute between Machado and Rosales, both to emphasize that the supposed “unitary consensus” has been agreed upon in a rather precarious environment of intrigues, threats, and mistrust and to discern what it is that everyone has lost with this strategy. Although the former [Machado] has achieved a tactical victory by displacing the latter [Rosales] from the presidential candidacy, projecting the idea that Edmundo González is representing her, following her own disqualification, Rosales has demonstrated strategic astuteness by imposing a candidate related to his political current, which that has relegated Machado from the design and narrative of the electoral campaign, an issue that is already beginning to be perceived in the image that is being built of Edmundo by media interviews.

Edmundo González Urrutia’s Missteps

Both have been damaged in their attempt to consolidate leadership in the opposition, revealing the internal crisis. The strategic coup against María Corina Machado weighs heavily due to its symbolism, since it implies a rejection of the “until the end” narrative that advocates reaching the ultimate consequences, even through insurrection, and that the destruction of Venezuela’s institutions is necessary to achieve a regime change by force. The scant support of the opposition parties for María Corina also stands out. This demonstrates her failure to establish herself as the highest representative of that sector.

However, this does not mean that she is the most affected. Ultimately, as often happens in anti-Chavismo, it is the followers of these leaders who are most harmed.

Right now, concerns about the candidate they will vote for cloud the public opinion. The ambiguous and non-transparent behavior of the political leaders is reflected in speculation about whether they are supporting María Corina Machado through a designated intermediary, supporting a coalition of more traditional parties that could be negotiating with the Maduro government without complying with the promise to seek an “exit from the regime,” or if the candidate has his own secret intentions.

This uncertainty is aggravated by the fact that it is a postulate that emerged from improvisation in the face of growing tensions between opposition parties, which does not hide the lack of a government program and, therefore, lacks what is necessary to carry out an effective political campaign in the country. Furthermore, it shows the clear disinterest in doing so, as well as in addressing crucial issues for national sovereignty, such as their evaluation of the illegal sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

All of this highlights the dilemma opposition voters face when confronted with the political vacuum around those who portray themselves as their representatives.

(Misión Verdad)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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