Woman at Venezuelan voting booth – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Humberto Matheus
In response to the controversial election results, Venezuelan expatriates reacted with calls for freedom resounding throughout South Florida on Monday.
With 51 percent of the vote, Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of the Venezuelan presidential election overnight, while Edmundo Gonzalez, according to the opposition, actually received 70 percent of the vote.
“Libertad! Libertad!” — which translates to “freedom” in Spanish — was chanted by large groups of Venezuelans on Monday morning as they assembled in Miami.
“I think a miracle could happen today,” South Florida resident Janeth Rodriguez, a native of Venezuela, stated.
Once Maduro’s supporters declared his victory in the contentious election and both parties declared themselves the winners, tensions in Venezuela skyrocketed.
After years of unrest, residents in Venezuela flocked to the streets in the hopes of seeing change. On Sunday night, polling stations had closed early.
From the former Venezuelan consulate in Brickell to Dolphin Mall, groups of Venezuelan expats flocked to South Florida this weekend to watch the historic election.
Francis Suarez, the mayor of Miami, stated that “millions in Venezuela and the four million Venezuelans in exile want to see a transition to a democratic government.”
Although she won primary elections and became the leader of the opposition’s best opportunity in decades to remove Maduro, Maria Corina Machado was prohibited from running for public office. As a spokesman for the 74-year-old Gonzalez, she mobilized support for him.
On Monday, a number of South Florida-based Venezuelans spoke with Local 10’s Annaliese Garcia about their hopes for the future.
Carmela Rincon, a resident of South Florida, expressed her optimism that her family will be able to spend Christmas and other holidays together, even if they cannot go back there.
“Our struggle continues, and we will not rest until the people are respected,” spoke Gonzalez as Maduro celebrated his win with a drone display that lit up the sky with his picture.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
