Venezuelan opposition in Switzerland: Maduro regime ‘knows it doesn’t have a majority’

Sunday’s elections in Venezuela have been followed by controversy and protest. The Swiss-based coordinator of Venezuela’s opposition, Erika Montañez, explains why she got involved in the campaign and what she now expects from incumbent president Nicolás Maduro. There are many reasons why Venezuela is not a democratic state. And yet, the recent presidential elections in the South American country were eagerly anticipated. How would strongman ruler Maduro react if the opposition won? Observers were sceptical that he would simply give up power. But at the same time, there were hopes that a peaceful transfer of power could be possible. Even after the candidacy of María Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition alliance, was ruled out, momentum against Maduro did not ebb: Edmundo González, a retired diplomat who stood in Machado’s place, enjoyed a big lead in polls over the past month. The official results of Sunday’s ballot, declaring Maduro the winner, are now being called into ...