Opponents of Venezuela’s President Maduro Intimidated as Political Crisis Worsens

by Pooja Chauhan · 16/08/2024

Venezuela’s political crisis deepens as opponents of President Nicolas Maduro face intimidation, including sinister X marks on their doors, following disputed election results.

Bollywood Fever: Opponents of Venezuela’s authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro are living in fear after mysterious X marks appeared on their doors, as the country’s political crisis deepens. The marks are seen as a form of intimidation by paramilitary loyalists as tensions escalate following a disputed national election in July.

All You Want to know about Venezuelan Election

President Maduro has refused to step down after Venezuela’s National Electoral Council declared him the winner, despite widespread accusations of electoral fraud. The council claimed Maduro secured 52% of the vote, but opposition leaders and international analysts argue the election was “stolen.” They cite alternative data showing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia winning with 67% of the vote.

Since the election, Venezuela has been plunged into chaos, with 25 people killed, dozens injured, and thousands arrested amid protests. In the capital, Caracas, residents protesting against Maduro’s claimed victory say they have been targeted by regime loyalists.

CNN images reveal black X marks painted on doors in the 23 de Eneri district, a clear warning to those who oppose the regime. One resident, identified as “Pablo,” described how paramilitary groups marked 32 out of 50 homes on his street after residents protested by banging pots and demanding Maduro’s resignation.

“The following days, they would ride around the street saying this mark is for cowards and that they would come back with guns if anyone protested,” Pablo said.

Opponents of Venezuela's President Maduro Intimidated as Political Crisis Worsens

Despite opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado presenting “irrefutable proof of victory,” they remain in hiding as Venezuela’s top prosecutor Tarek William Saab launched a criminal investigation against them. Saab accused the opposition of “falsely accounting a winner of the presidential election.”

International pressure continues to mount for a resolution. The White House and the presidents of Brazil and Colombia have called for new elections in Venezuela, though Maria Corina Machado argues that a new vote would “show a lack of respect” for the people’s will, as expressed in the July election.

Maduro, who has led Venezuela since 2013, has presided over the country’s economic collapse, with GDP plummeting 80% over the past decade. His last election victory in 2018 was also widely rejected as fraudulent by the international community.

As the situation in Venezuela grows more dire, the intimidation tactics against opposition supporters underline the regime’s determination to maintain its grip on power, despite calls for change both domestically and internationally.