Times have changed all over the world. In the United States the days when elections were held (first Tuesday in November) practically went unnoticed by the visitor. Now it turns out that the White House and many stores are building barriers fearful of post-election violence. In addition, the world is more interested than ever in what happens in the United States, since in the last four years everyone has felt a greater change in their relations with the most powerful country on the globe. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan opposition political world has been paralyzed waiting for the results of these elections, where the results are not clear yet, but the divorce with the local reality is obvious. One proof is the 500 Venezuelans that every day walk out of the country, without forgetting the continuous deterioration of public services.

 

Popular Consultations

Spain’s El País puts it very well when it headlines “The Venezuelan Opposition Struggles to Stop Attrition and Discouragement”. The AN and the interim government trying to counter the parliamentary elections called by the regime for December sought an alliance with ANCO to hold a parallel consultation. It is a tool to generate public interest, but there are already open differences between the two. It seems that some want to get rid of the regime and others want to extend the duration of the AN and live with the regime until an election is achieved. Soy Venezuela also states that the Popular Consultation is a calming instrument for dissent and protests. As has been commented from way back, this consultation will hardly be successful. Political parties are paying the price of having scorned the voters of the 16J poll in 2017.

 

The positions in the opposition are coming into the light

Leopoldo López (LL) is already showing his extraordinary capacity for work and now taking advantage of the possibility of speaking publicly. Among the many manifestations is an interesting interview with Fernando del Rincón. There, a professional politician was seen and heard, who has also created an important network of international relations. Important conclusions can be drawn: (a) LL is who has led the efforts of the interim government to date, (b) to achieve the change of government, the concentration has been in negotiations with members of the regime and with international relations, ( c) no mention of the protests in Venezuela and how to support them to turn them into political tools, (d) future efforts will focus on continuing to work with members of the regime. His departure from Venezuela can be associated with the potential loss of the AN in 2021 and the need to rebuild the international support that this would imply.

 

In some way, LL’s proposals are proof that the main opposition parties (G4) abandoned their work with the people and dedicated themselves to the AN and to survive and share with the regime. Alexander Campos, director of the Popular Research Center says that “Today the parties within the communities are history. They are WhatsApp groups, community managers, advertising agencies and Twitter accounts, but it is not the effective organizational and communication reality “, in his article “The Venezuelan flees to save himself from being killed. “

 

Madrid forum

Looking a little further and with the intention of creating a counterweight to the Sao Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group, the Madrid Forum has been created, well described in the Madrid Charter: in defense of freedom and democracy in the Iberian sphere , and it includes an important participation of Venezuelan politicians and personalities. There it is posited:

  • The advance of communism poses a serious threat to the prosperity and development of our nations, as well as to the freedoms and rights of our compatriots.
  • The rule of law, the separation of powers, freedom of expression and private property are essential elements that guarantee the proper functioning of our societies, which is why they must be specially protected against those who try to undermine them.
  • The defense of our freedoms is a task that belongs not only to the political sphere, but also to institutions, civil society, the media, academia, etc.
  • The future of the Iberosphere countries must be based on respect for democracy, Human Rights, pluralism, human dignity and justice, for which the undersigned express their commitment to work together in the defense of these values and principles.