After a marathon journey of over 20 hours to Kazan, where, in a desperate attempt to join the BRICS, he humbled himself before Russia and China, all Maduro received was a polite handshake. No luck.
Nicolás Maduro suffered a major setback after the 2024 elections in Venezuela, as the official results have been fiercely questioned both inside and outside the country. The opposition, led by González and María Corina Machado, claims to have more than 80% of the records proving their victory, while thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the regime.
As usual, Maduro’s response has been repression and imprisonment.
In the midst of this turmoil, Lula da Silva’s position is rather curious. Although he has always been a close ally of Maduro, he recently expressed “fear” over the dictator’s repressive violence. Lula and other Latin American leaders have called for the full release of the election results to ensure transparency and a commitment to democracy.
In his quest for peace and the unity of the left, Lula expressed concern: “The more peace Venezuela has, the more peace South America will have.” However, his attempts at mediation between the Venezuelan dictator and the opposition, along with Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, have been fruitless. It seems the simple request to reveal the records has fallen on deaf ears.
China, for its part, remains even more cautious. As one of Venezuela’s main investors, its focus is on protecting its economic and strategic interests. Despite the growing uncertainty, Beijing remains silent, carefully evaluating its relationship with the regime without jeopardizing its investments.
The tipping point came with statements from Tarek William Saab, who, in a televised interview, accused Lula and Gabriel Boric of being “CIA agents.” Needless to say, this outburst infuriated the Brazilian president. Although Maduro quickly distanced himself from the comments, the fact remains that Saab is not just any official—he’s the republic’s attorney general, and not one of the moderate kind.
It seems that in Venezuela, insults are thrown around like confetti, especially when someone dares to point out the government’s glaring flaws. With long tongues and short tempers, Maduro has already lost an important ally.
After a marathon journey of over 20 hours to Kazan, where, in a desperate attempt to join the BRICS, he humbled himself before Russia and China, all Maduro received was a polite handshake. No luck.
And I wonder, seeing Lula’s solidary gesture and his efforts for Cuba, wasn’t it a gross mistake to lose Lula’s support? Perhaps it would have been wiser to keep friends close and mouths a bit more shut. But, alas! Sometimes, no matter how well you dress up the monkey, it still doesn’t earn the distinction.
Written by: Raysa White Más © Writer and journalist. Executive Director of Revista Internacional Vínculos, Santo Domingo, October 24, 2024.
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