Venezuela鈥檚 Maduro clings to power. Opposition hopes this time it ends differently.
| Caracas, Venezuela
For more than a decade, Venezuelans opposed to the government of President Nicol谩s Maduro have experienced moments of soaring confidence that change was on the horizon. And just as often, that hope faltered when the government successfully cracked down on protests, meddled with elections, or stamped out popular opposition candidates鈥� burgeoning power.
But in the lead-up to the July 28 presidential election, hope was higher than ever. And thus, with Mr. Maduro鈥檚 baseless claims of victory 鈥� which the United States, the European Union, and other governments say they won鈥檛 recognize 鈥� has come even more crushing disillusionment. A week after the highly contested presidential vote, the population is once again facing a moment of potential change.
The opposition has taken to the streets, with thousands gathering in the capital on Saturday to demand that Mr. Maduro step down. They鈥檙e sending a message that they鈥檙e unwilling to entertain more of the same governance that has sent Venezuela reeling in recent years amid economic, political, and humanitarian crises.
Why We Wrote This
As Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro clings to power following an internationally contested election, citizens hoping for change are leaning into the resilience they鈥檝e built over the past decade.
The government has lashed back, with growing crackdowns and violence against opposition demonstrations. On Sunday, Mr. Maduro urged military chiefs to order a 鈥渢otal deployment鈥� of their troops, and told members of the national guard, 鈥淲e are confronting, defeating, containing, and pulverizing an attempted coup in Venezuela.鈥�
Now many Venezuelans are grappling with how to move ahead amid both hope and fear, leaning into the resilience they鈥檝e had to build over the past decade to navigate this fraught moment.
鈥淚f change doesn鈥檛 happen now, the Venezuelan people鈥檚 hope will fall 鈥� or relapse as it did in the past,鈥� says Enyerberth Alexander Laguna Rond贸n, a content manager in his late 20s who participated in the opposition鈥檚 pro-democracy march last Thursday.
Protests and repression
The day after the contentious vote and Mr. Maduro鈥檚 claims of victory 鈥� without any proof 鈥� protests erupted across Venezuela. Statues of Hugo Ch谩vez, the popular former president who laid the foundation for Mr. Maduro鈥檚 government ideology chavismo, were torn down. The streets were filled with tear gas, gunfire, and flames launched by government sympathizers. Unlike previous protests, which were predominantly led by a politicized middle class, these demonstrations were largely driven by people from low-income neighborhoods that used to be government strongholds. Even parts of Mr. Maduro鈥檚 core base have turned against him.
In response, Mr. Maduro unleashed the harshest crackdown of his 11 years in power. At least 22 protesters have been killed over the past week, and the government arrested more than 2,000 people. Just a block from Mr. Rond贸n鈥檚 house, a young man was shot and killed while demonstrating.
鈥淭he government uses fear as a means of social control,鈥� says Jos茅 Gregorio Guerra, a Venezuelan sociologist. It relies on tactics such as raiding the homes of government opponents or their relatives, and encouraging citizens to report criticism of the government.
The strategy has worked. Government repression and intimidation have compelled some protesters like Mr. Rond贸n to remain at home in recent days. The killing just around the corner from his house left him shaken and overwhelmed. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to become a martyr of my country. I would give a lot for my country, Venezuela, but I wouldn鈥檛 give my life,鈥� he says with tears in his eyes.
Despite his retreat from the streets, Mr. Rond贸n admires those who continue to stand up against the government鈥檚 fraudulent claims of victory. Mr. Maduro, backed by the loyalist National Electoral Council, announced without detailed breakdowns of the votes or verifiable evidence that he won with 51% of the vote. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonz谩lez Urrutia, a retired diplomat, claimed victory based on the preliminary results of 80% of voting center tallies, collected and protected by over 1 million citizen volunteers. His team claims he won with 67% of the vote.
Carlos Mendoza, a government employee in his early 20s, is among the young Venezuelans still pushing ahead with protests.
As is common among government employees, he says he was pressured by his boss to attend the government鈥檚 closing campaign event just over a week ago to show support for Mr. Maduro.
But on Aug. 3, when his boss asked him to attend the government鈥檚 election celebration, Mr. Mendoza refused. There could be professional repercussions 鈥� no small thing in a nation where the economy is in shambles and hyperinflation distorts purchasing power. But 鈥淚 cannot abandon Venezuela; I cannot stay at home with my arms crossed,鈥� he says.
At the opposition鈥檚 rally over the weekend, Mr. Mendoza felt a surge of energy and hope. However, he鈥檚 also experienced the harsher side of standing up for democracy. After celebrating Mr. Gonz谩lez鈥檚 presidential victory on Tuesday, he found himself hiding from tear gas and being chased through streets of Caracas, the capital, by armed forces.
A heavy toll
Nearly all of Venezuelan psychologist Zena Sleiman Dayoub鈥檚 patients are experiencing pervasive fear right now, she says. 鈥淭hey feel they are not safe anywhere,鈥� even clients who do not consider themselves politically active, she says.
Years of shortages of basic services and medical and food products, as well as widespread institutionalized violence, feed into the far-reaching anxiety, says Dr. Sleiman. 鈥淭his is such a [challenging] situation; lots of energy is consumed to process it all,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more important than ever to take care of ourselves.鈥澛�
Now the question Venezuelans 鈥� and the world 鈥� are asking is whether the South American nation will descend further into dictatorship or move toward a democratic transition, says Dr. Guerra, the sociologist, who for about a decade has run support programs for Venezuelan activists.
The repression 鈥渋s not enough to stop them,鈥� Dr. Guerra says of Venezuelans tired of years of basic shortages and lack of opportunity.
Holding out hope
But if Mr. Maduro holds on to power, it wouldn鈥檛 be the first time Venezuelan hopes for change were dramatically quashed. Widespread political protests in 2014, 2017, and 2019 didn鈥檛 yield the results demonstrators hoped for. Nearly 8 million people, representing a quarter of the population, have fled the country due to hunger, political repression, lack of security, and despair.
Many question whether the opposition movement can survive another dramatic disappointment.
Some might abandon the fight. Mr. Rond贸n, alongside about one-third of Venezuela鈥檚 remaining population, is considering leaving the country if Mr. Maduro successfully clings to power.聽Whether they stay on under Mr. Maduro or migrate, Venezuelans will be dealing with a sense of loss, says Dr. Sleiman, the psychologist.
But, she adds, hope for democracy in Venezuela can鈥檛 be crushed entirely. She draws comparisons between the heartache of watching the nation鈥檚 promise crumble and that of dealing with an earth-shattering breakup. It鈥檚 tempting to reject the idea of falling in love again 鈥� or in this case the idea of successfully rebuilding independent institutions and the economy.
But, she says, Venezuelans shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to hope and they shouldn鈥檛 fear the potential disappointment that comes with having faith that things can change.
鈥淚t is a part of living,鈥� she says.
