Venezuelan opposition leader picks proxy to challenge Maduro

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (L) presents her replacement for July elections, Corina Yoris, at a news conference in Caracas, on March 22, 2024 – Copyright AFP Federico Parra

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday tapped a university professor as her stand-in to run in the July 28 election against President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela’s top court in January barred Machado, 56, from holding public office for 15 years, and her opposition party faced a deadline of Monday to name a candidate.

Machado hailed Corina Yoris, her stand-in, as “a person of my total confidence, honorable, who will see this process through with the support and trust of all.”

Yoris was part of the commission that organized opposition primaries in October that Machado easily won, unsettling the Maduro government with her surging popularity.

“We are a great team,” Machado said.

Machado’s announcement came two days after authorities arrested two of her top campaign aides and announced warrants for seven others, accusing them of seeking to destabilize the country.

Maduro has governed Venezuela since 2013, presiding with military support even as severe economic contraction has spurred more than seven million of its citizens to flee the country. 

Experts say Machado, with 70 percent approval ratings in some polls, may be able to transfer that support to the candidacy of her replacement.

Yoris, who holds a doctorate in history, vowed to remain loyal to Machado.

“I feel at this moment not only proud, but tremendously committed with the people, with the citizens, with Maria Corina, with this act of trust,” Yoris said.

Machado has insisted that she will continue fighting her disqualification from standing for office and enter the race at the last minute, taking Yoris’s place.

But that appears unlikely as authorities target her top aides, including her right hand, Magalli Meda, who appeared as a possible substitute.

The Maduro government accuses Machado and top aides of “destabilizing actions” including planning widespread demonstrations and attacks on military installations.

“The regime knows it is lost. The regime knows that the people are with us,” Machado insisted. 

Maduro, a former bus driver and political organizer, aspires to a third six-year term. The president came to power in 2013, after the death of Hugo Chavez (1999-2013), and was reelected in 2018 in questioned elections, under suspicions of fraud.

About 60 countries recognized Maduro’s opponent, Juan Guaido, as the winner, although his support ebbed over time.

On Wednesday, Machado said the Venezuelan government was attacking her party for fear of losing the presidential election.