The interim government of Juan Guaidó, the institutional structure that was created in parallel to try to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, begins to crack from within. The politician Julio Borges, one of its most prominent members, announced this Sunday that he is abandoning this form of resistance, considering that it has become more of a problem than a solution. What’s more, he called for the total disappearance of the government itself. “There is no route, there is no unity and there is no strategy,” Borges said during the announcement of his resignation.
The objectives of the internship have not been met. Guaidó achieved immense international support in 2019, which, added to the protests inside the country, put Maduro in check. Chavismo, however, resisted. Three years later, the struggle has deflated and Hugo Chávez’s successor seems screwed into power, despite the country’s economic and social instability. “We have lost international support,” lamented Borges, “because there have been contradictions, errors and that has caused the world to put the Venezuelan case on the refrigerator.” In his view, the opposition must be rebuilt so that anti-Chavismo gains legitimacy inside and outside of Venezuela.
“The interim government was an instrument to get out of the dictatorship, but at this moment it has been deformed to become a kind of end in itself, managed by a caste that exists there. It has become bureaucratized and no longer fulfills its function. It has to disappear, ”Borges said emphatically. He complained that right now it is made up of 1,600 officials and that there have been scandals in the handling of assets abroad, as in the case of Monómeros, a Barranquilla-based company controlled by the opposition. He assured that this money is managed by Guaidó’s environment. “Asset management is a scandal. You have to create a trust so that there is transparency. There is no accountability, the assets are used for personal purposes ”.
Guaidó’s strategy weakens with the departure of Borges. Guaidó has been in office for three years, without significant progress in two years. His sights are set on the 2024 presidential elections, although there are still another three long years left for that. Long time. The politician has nervously lived the stagnation of his struggle and that has even been noticed physically. His face has been filled with acne, as can be seen in his recent public appearances. The very regional elections that were held on November 21, with the participation of the opposition for the first time in five years, was also a way for other opponents to question his leadership. Like Borges, this current believes that Guaidó’s time, at least as interim president, is over and anti-Chavismo needs to rebuild itself to present a solid alternative.
Borges affirmed that the opposition has gone from error to error in recent years. Operation Gadeón, a raid by mercenaries off the Venezuelan coast in 2020 to capture Maduro, was “a clown.” The opponent, who resides in Colombia, assures that he has been saying all this out loud for a year and a half, but that he has not found receptivity on the part of Guaidó. In addition, he is concerned that he mentions that he will be interim president until Maduro leaves the presidency. “That is to become part of the problem,” he criticized.
Regarding the elections, he considers that “a golden opportunity” to present a solid internal force has been lost. He pointed out that the EU report, which recognizes improvements in the organization of the elections compared to previous occasions, is important and that from that point the opponents of the regime can reorganize. The objective of running for these elections was to raise again in national territory, not in Miami or Madrid, a palpable alternative to Chavismo. The Maduro government has the burden of international sanctions, which greatly narrow its room for maneuver, although for now it has managed to resist. “If we do not have the greatness to take the steps to carry out a radical reform of the opposition, we will be wasting time,” said Borges.
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Chavismo, as the results show, has lost support, but the division of the opposition and control of the institutions has been enough to win in most regions. The scenario could repeat itself in a presidential election within a couple of years, unless the opposition manages to reunite and present a seamless alternative. Guaidó, right now, has the support of the United States, a key backing, although more and more are questioning his leadership from within. The departure of Borges makes that fracture bigger.
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