Whereas the previous Guaidó lives it up in Florida, at anyone’s obvious expense, the brand new Guaidó, Edmundo González Urritia, appears decided to spoil Maduro’s occasion.
The previous US-selected interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaidó is at the moment dwelling in Florida, the place he provides occasional courses on the Florida Worldwide College’s Adam Smith Middle for Financial Freedom whereas below investigation by the FBI for allegedly fleecing US taxpayers. In current days, Guaidó, who can also be wished on prices of treason, usurpation of features and cash laundering again in his residence nation, was caught on a smartphone digicam ingesting and chatting at certainly one of Florida’s most unique tennis golf equipment.
Guaidó jugando padell en Miami mientras en sus redes pide que en Venezuela haya una guerra civil.
Véalo Ud mismo 👀
— Michel Caballero Palma (@MichelCaballero) January 9, 2025
Whereas Guaidó wines and dines with Florida’s well-to-do, many Venezuelans are asking themselves how he is ready to fund such a lavish way of life. From the Brazilian media outlet Globo Imaginative and prescient (machine translated from Spanish):
Juan Guaidó is as soon as once more viral on social media for his pleasures in Miami, United States, after showing taking part in paddle tennis along with his rich pals and squandering the cash he stole from the Venezuelan individuals.
A video exhibits him very comfy and joyful sporting sportswear at an essential paddle tennis membership in Miami, this after having requested for sanctions in opposition to Venezuela and selling suffocation of the Venezuelan household.
It needs to be famous that the previous deputy and fugitive from Venezuelan justice has not been in a position to clarify how he covers his luxuries within the North American nation.
In mid-2023, it was unimaginable for him to clarify in an interview how he covers his dwelling bills, or what he lives on, whereas he stays in america, a rustic wherein he’s a refugee.
“I’m an engineer. I’ve two postgraduate levels,” was the response of the previous parliamentarian, who didn’t supply additional particulars on whether or not he practices this career to finance his keep within the North American nation. When requested how he helps himself overseas, the journalist mentioned: “I don’t imagine that you’re working as an engineer today.”
As well as, on the finish of 2023, the media reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of america is investigating the vacation spot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} that the White Home permitted for humanitarian help for the so-called “interim authorities” headed by Guaidó.
On the relentless social networks, feedback in opposition to Guaidó are gaining floor. Customers discuss concerning the important transformation since his flight to america and surprise about that life in Miami, characterised by luxurious and luxury.
The New Guaidó
However the place is the new Guaidó?
Edmundo González Urrutia, the 75-year previous former diplomat who, in accordance with the opposition’s calculations, received Venezuela’s elections on July 28 by a landslide, solely to flee to Spain simply over a month later, has spent the previous week touring Latin America making an attempt to drum up assist for his declare to the presidency. The international locations he visited embody Argentina, the place he was given a hero’s welcome by Argentine President Javier Milei; Uruguay; america, the place he met with Biden however was unable to safe a gathering with Trump; Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Here’s a tweet from the unique Juan Guaidó celebrating Guaidó 2.0’s look on the Casa Rosada in Argentina alongside Milei. “We will likely be free,” Guaidó writes, earlier than thanking Milei for “bearing witness to the defence of democracy”:
Seremos libres.
El presidente electo de 🇻🇪 @EdmundoGU en 🇦🇷
Gracias presidente Milei por dar testimonio de la defensa de la democracia. pic.twitter.com/qP6eoqw4Dv
— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) January 4, 2025
Right here is one other video of a really frail-looking González backstage being supported and shepherded by two ladies, certainly one of whom I imagine is his daughter. It is a man who, to all intents and functions, can barely stroll with out the assistance of others, who makes even Biden look match and powerful, but who is predicted (by some) to grab energy from Maduro at present.
Edmundo González no puede ni caminar solo. Lo tienen que sostener entre dos mujeres. El títere que escogieron para representar los intereses de María Corina (y por tanto de 🇺🇸 + 🇮🇱) está más senil que Biden.pic.twitter.com/jOXluW1W97
— El Necio (@ElNecio_Cuba) January 7, 2025
After all, González Urritia is nothing greater than a place-holder for Marina Corina Machado, who’s the de facto chief of Venezuela’s important opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform. Machado was barred from standing for election in July as a result of corruption prices and since, for years, she has toured the world making an attempt to prepare a US or Israel-led invasion of Venezuela. Usually referred to by her supporters as “Venezuela’s Iron Woman”, she can also be the CIA’s girl in Caracas. In contrast to González Urritia, she remains to be in Venezuela, albeit in hiding.
So, the place is González now?
As of writing (1 am, Friday, Mexico Metropolis), González Urritia is in Santa Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. That is apparently his ultimate stepping stone to Caracas the place he’ll apparently declare his presidential title, on the identical day that Maduro is scheduled to start a 3rd six-year time. González Urritia will likely be accompanied in that endeavour by seven former Latin American heads of state, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, Vincente Fox, each former presidents of Mexico, Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Yamir Mahuad (Ecuador), Mireya Moscoso (Panama), Ernesto Pérez Balladares (additionally of Panama) and Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay).
These seven former statesmen and lady declare to be champions of freedom and democracy but Felipe Calderon, for example, is strongly suspected of rigging Mexico’s 2006 elections in his favour in addition to having shut ties with the Sinaloa drug cartel. Jamil Mahuad, in 2014, was sentenced in absentia (after absconding to the US) to 12 years in jail for the crime of embezzlement. Throughout her ten years in energy was additionally accused of embezzlement whereas subjecting Panama to an “absolute subordination” to america. Pastrana, in the meantime, is accused of flying with on Jeffrey Epstein’s Lolita Categorical to the tycoon’s notorious island.
By the point you learn this, on Friday morning or later, González Irritu and his seven companions might already be in Venezuela, in all probability in custody. All of this has been organised by the IDEA Group (Democratic Initiative of Spain and the America), an advert hoc discussion board comprising former heads of state and governments of Spain and Latin America — all of a right-wing, neoliberal bent — that, in its personal phrases “seeks to strengthen Ibero-American and worldwide solidarity in favour of democracy itself, the rule of legislation, and the efficient and common assure and safety of human rights.”
Here’s a full checklist of the previous heads of state and authorities that signed the Declaration of Panama recognising González Urritia as president-elect and calling for him to be instated as president on January 10.
González Urritia and the seven ex-presidents, if certainly that’s what number of are on board when the airplane takes off, are unlikely to obtain the crimson carpet remedy on their arrival in Caracas.
Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan Parliament, introduced earlier this week that the authorities will distribute “wished” posters all through the nation in opposition to the seven former Latin American presidents. On the posters, every ex-president is labelled as an “invader” and accused of “conspiracy and complicity in terrorist acts, in addition to of attacking the peace of Venezuela.” There may be additionally a $100,000 value on González Urritia’s head. His son has already been detained.
One of many wished indicators, aptly for Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, who’s accused of rigging Mexico’s 2006 elections in his favour and of getting shut ties with the Sinaloa cartel. At present lives in Madrid, Spain.
In a televised handle, Venezuela’s Minister of Inside Diosdado Cabello asks: “how do these individuals intend to enter a rustic to which they don’t seem to be invited?” And extra importantly, whose authorities they search to overthrow?
Nonetheless No Readability
Even by this stage in proceedings, greater than 5 months after the the July 28 election, it’s nonetheless nonetheless not clear who received. Maduro was declared the winner by the Nationwide Electoral Council (CNE), a collegiate physique with a pro-government majority. The Supreme Court docket has additionally supported Maduro’s claims whereas ruling that voting tallies printed on-line by opposition events displaying Maduro misplaced by a landslide have been solid.
However the CNE didn’t current the ballots that proved that Maduro had obtained 6.4 million votes, simply over 1,000,000 greater than Gonazález’s 5.3 million. It’s the first time this has ever occurred. For its half, the opposition claims to have collected and exhibited 83.5% of the voting data as proof of González Irritu’s crushing victory over Maduro, which have been duly endorsed by some worldwide electoral observers together with the Carter Middle.
Nevertheless, as flagged in a earlier put up, considerations have been raised that the Carter Middle is probably not fairly as impartial an electoral observer because it as soon as seemingly was. One potential purpose for that is that its present CEO, Paige Alexander, who was appointed in 2020 — i.e., after Venezuela’s earlier election however earlier than this one — has spent the lion’s share of her profession working for USAID, the CIA’s soft-power arm. She has additionally served on the board of the Free Russia Basis.
If that doesn’t increase sufficient flags, there’s additionally the Carter Middle’s checklist of donors to take into consideration. The very best bracket of sponsors ($1 MILLION+) consists of the US State Division, which already declared Venezuela’s opposition candidate as electoral victor, USAID, Belgium, the UK Improvement Workplace, Pfizer, Open Society, Coca Cola, the Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis, the Turner Basis, the Rockefeller Basis, and the Walton Basis, to call just some. It actually is sort of a powerful checklist.
Put merely, there may be nonetheless no definitive proof. Nonetheless, greater than 50 international locations have already acknowledged Maduro’s electoral triumph since August, in accordance with the accounts of the ruling occasion. They embody Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Turkey and Qatar, in addition to different international locations within the Arab world – together with the fallen regime of Syria – Africa and the Caribbean. In Latin America, solely Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Honduras have recognised his victory.
On the opposite aspect of the divide are a smattering of nations which have recognised Edmundo González as president elect, together with the US and a few of its shopper states within the area, comparable to Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, three Latin American powers with left-leaning governments and shut ties to Venezuela, have tried to take care of a impartial stance. In all three instances, they’re anticipated to be represented by their ambassadors in Caracas throughout Maduro’s inauguration. However none of them have been keen to recognise Maduro’s alleged victory.
The Poisoned Legacy of Guaidó
The humiliating expertise of the Guaidó farce seems to have left an indelible mark on many nationwide governments. For instance, the one EU nation that has recognised González Urritia as president elect is Meloni’s Italy. Brussels itself refuses to take a place both approach, although the European Parliament has recognised González Urritia. Even the UK, which continues to carry onto Venezuela’s gold and which did the whole lot it might to assist the Guaidó parallel authorities’s claims to that gold, remains to be sitting on the fence on this one.
As for the US, it’s surprisingly arduous to fathom what place it would take as soon as Trump is again in energy. With Marco Rubio main the State Division, it’s arduous to think about Washington taking a softer stance towards Maduro. Nevertheless, Trump himself is seemingly dealing with stress from oil execs to take care of Biden’s coverage of granting concessions to Maduro to safe oil imports from Venezuela. There may be additionally the query of Venezuelan migrants. In line with the first-time Republican senator, Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump, will find yourself working with Nicolás Maduro, “since he’s the one who will take workplace”.
“They’d an election, individuals say it wasn’t honest, however on the finish of the day,” the highest U.S. priorities will likely be stopping the movement of medication and that Maduro take again many Venezuelan undocumented immigrants. This may very well be in change for financial concessions from the US. Additionally it is true that Trump will in all probability have sufficient on his fingers shopping for Greenland, absorbing Canada into the US, invading Panama and taking up Mexico’s drug cartels. Such a prospect is inflicting nervousness amongst Venezuela’s opposition and its supporters within the US.
Overly Dynamic
In the meantime, on the streets of cities and cities throughout Venezuela the warmth is as soon as once more rising. To borrow from Lambert, “the state of affairs is overly dynamic”. Massive protests are going down on each side of the divide. On Thursday, Maria Corina Machado emerged from hiding to handle protesters within the capital. After her speech, phrase abruptly broke out that she had been detained by over a dozen law enforcement officials. There have been rumours of gunshots but not a single piece of footage of the incident. Machado was then rapidly “launched,” in accordance with her occasion, Vente Venezuela.
The story was apparently bull. Inside lower than an hour, a video appeared displaying Machado admitting that nothing had occurred. She had merely misplaced her purse. However the phrase had already unfold all around the world. Inside minutes, the Spanish authorities, presumably frightened of being caught napping by Spain’s right-wing opposition, and the Milei administration in Argentina had denounced Machado’s detainment. Hours later, politicians and jouralists have been nonetheless speaking about her unlawful detention.
Chavistas have accused Machado of utilizing this fabricated — and seemingly well-rehearsed — routine to distract from the truth that the demonstration had been a complete dud. In a single video, shared by the Venezuela Information company, there are barely 100 demonstrators in attendance. Whether or not the video is real is difficult to inform, however one factor is obvious: if tens of 1000’s of individuals had attended the protest, social and mainstream media could be awash with movies, pictures and drone photographs testifying to its measurement. So far as I can inform, it isn’t.
That mentioned, given the size of the Maduro authorities’s crackdown, maybe it’s little shock that the protest was frivolously attended. Maduro has mobilised “organs of integral course” (ODIS), a construction that centralises political energy, the Armed Forces, the Bolivarian Nationwide Militia, police forces and neighborhood teams, with the said goal of sustaining order. In line with the the Argentine media Infobae, “it’s a mechanism of absolute territorial management, designed to subdue the inhabitants and stifle any expression of dissent earlier than January 10.”
Or maybe it’s an try to forestall yet one more long-anticipated coup — one thing Venezuela has loads of expertise with. Will there be snipers on rooftops capturing at crowds of protesters, as already occurred within the tried coup in opposition to Chavez in 2002, and lots of different US-sponsored regime change theatres (Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon…)? Will international mercenaries pour into the nation to position bombs in crowded public locations, assault police stations and usually sow chaos? Or will order typically prevail?
These are, I imagine, cheap questions. In spite of everything, former Blackwater founder and CEO Erik Prince has spent the previous few months spearheading a go-fund me web site for overthrowing Maduro known as” Ya Casi Venezuela” (Nearly There, Venezuela). Mercenaries are his enterprise (though that enterprise was bought numerous years in the past). And let’s be trustworthy, Venezuela’s Chavista authorities is not any stranger to regime change operations, assassination makes an attempt or parallel governments picked and staffed by Washington.
Previously few days alone, the Venezuelan authorities declare to have captured greater than 150 alleged international mercenaries, together with Individuals, Ukrainians and Colombian hitmen, who apparently confessed that they meant to generate acts of violence and terrorism within the nation. Maduro mentioned that the terrorists
sought to govern and confuse with the argument that they have been within the nation to go to the households of their Venezuelan lovers.
“All of them got here for household causes. They have been all given the identical script.”
