After the victory of Gustavo Petro, the silence in the Venezuelan opposition has been a constant. This is not a simple situation. This because of Colombia together with the United States were the main allies of the so-called interim government, headed by Juan Guaidó.
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The refusal of these countries to recognize Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela opened spaces for dialogue with Guaidó, who is the leader of the opposition, but who according to the latest survey by the Hinterlaces firm, on July 18, has a popularity of 2 percent.
Through a message on Twitter, Guaidó thanked Colombian President Iván Duque “for his commitment to Venezuela and democracy”.
He also assured that the president had had a tireless leadership “to denounce the Maduro dictatorship, support our migrants and refugees and support the Venezuelan democratic resistance.”
These statements came after David Smolansky, commissioner of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee crisis, dedicated a message to Duque and an acknowledgment.
“President, you have made visible and integrated in Colombia 2,000,000 Venezuelans that the dictatorship expelled. Thank you for so much generosity and fraternity with our migrants. You have shown that there can be firm diplomacy without abandoning human actions,” Smolansky said in an act with the Colombian president and vice president Marta Lucía Ramírez.
President, you have made visible and integrated in Colombia 2 million Venezuelans that the dictatorship expelled. Thank you for so much generosity and fraternity with our migrants. You have shown that there can be firm diplomacy without letting go of human actions. https://t.co/02JhvONBlM
— David Smolansky (@dsmolansky) July 19, 2022
Iván Duque, who has insisted on the non-recognition of Maduro and with it the non-reestablishment of bilateral relations, definitively fractured with Caracas since 2019, thanked Smolansky’s speech and assured that they were motivation.
Now, the opposition believes that Petro’s arrival at the Casa de Nariño is a setback. The tests speak for themselves. Maduro and Petro have already spoken by phone and it is expected that after August 7 Caracas and Bogotá will have relations again or at least the beginning of these.
“We are adapting to this new reality,” an opponent who has lived in the Colombian capital for several years told EL TIEMPO. and that he was part of the interim government of Guaidó. He preferred to remain anonymous because “the picture is not very clear.”
I congratulate Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez for their historic victory in the Presidential elections in Colombia. The will of the Colombian people, who came out to defend the path of democracy and peace, was heard. New times are in sight for this sister country. pic.twitter.com/FxodCn9Uqx
– Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) June 19, 2022
Although Gustavo Petro has kept the promise of shelter for Venezuelan migrants, the opposition concern goes further. Monómeros, a Colombian-Venezuelan company, is experiencing corruption scandals under the administration of the junta imposed by Guaidó, and Petro has said that they will review this issue.
Diosdado Cabello, vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has also made reference to Monómeros, indicating that after August 7 the opposition will stop committing acts of corruption with said company.
Guaidó congratulated Petro on the day of his victory, “Colombia is today the home of 2 million Venezuelans who fled in search of a future. We advocate that the management of the new president Gustavo Petro maintain the protection of vulnerable Venezuelans in his country and accompany Venezuela’s struggle to recover its democracy, “he wrote on Twitter.
Now, after Smolansky’s statements, the thanks to Iván Duque seem more like a farewell to one of his main allies in supporting the so-called interim government.
ANA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
WEATHER CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
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