Dear John,

The Biden administration is following the Trump administration’s playbook — again. They just announced they are recognizing Edmundo Gonzalez as President of Venezuela in defiance of Venezuela’s institutions, which are currently auditing the election. This is exactly what Trump did in 2019 by recognizing an unelected opposition figure, Juan Guaidó, as president, and it turned out to be a disaster.

Send Biden a clear message: NO GUAIDÓ 2.0!

Amid a flurry of conflicting reports from various governments and media organizations, the intricate situation in Venezuela has become confusing for many. In the face of so many competing interests fighting for power, it’s crucial to remember that Venezuela’s political challenges must be resolved by its own people, on their own terms.

Guaidó’s self-declaration as President in 2019 — supported by the U.S. and several Western nations —led to severe instability and further exacerbated Venezuela’s political and economic turmoil and internal divisions. It also strained Venezuela’s relationships with those countries that backed Guaidó.

After years of pretending to be President with no popular support, the opposition gave up on Guaidó, though many of Venezuela’s assets remained arbitrarily confiscated. We must avoid repeating the disastrous consequences of the Guaidó scenario, which are aimed at undermining Venezuela’s democratic process and destabilizing the region. 

Send Biden a clear message: Respect Venezuela’s sovereignty!

Here’s a brief overview of the voting system and the current situation:

In Venezuela, voting involves a multi-step process designed to ensure security and transparency. This two-minute video by Venezuelanalysis is one of the best explainers. 

On July 28, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) announced Maduro’s victory with 51% against 44%, while the opposition immediately claimed Edmundo Gonzalez won with 67% against 30%, based on their tally sheets. The CNE reported an attempted hack, that, according to a CNE technician, could not alter the vote count but delayed the transmission of the results. This delay was crucial in allowing the opposition to frame the elections as irregular and fraudulent.

The opposition's tally sheets remain unverified. To establish clarity, Venezuela’s institutions and political parties must corroborate the results. Rather than immediately claiming victory with support from the US, the opposition should present their evidence to the CNE. 

The Biden administration must respect the Venezuelan democratic process!

While the opposition has the right to demand electoral scrutiny, they cannot merely declare themselves victors, the same way that Trump couldn’t declare victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Rather than following Venezuela’s legal process for scrutinizing elections, the opposition has simply set up a kind of parallel CNE — funded by the United States — and proclaimed their candidate as the winner. 

Tell Biden to stop undermining Venezuelan democracy and avoid repeating the Guaidó fiasco!

The failed Guaidó scenario, an attempt by the Trump administration to orchestrate regime change in Venezuela, was a part of the decade-long economic war that the US has waged against Venezuelans. Confiscating many of the country’s assets and destroying many diplomatic relations, this intervention has exacerbated the country's struggles and led to severe economic hardship for its people. Even many pro-regime change Senators insist that this playbook does not work and should not be repeated. For the sake of the Venezuelan people, the U.S. must respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and cease its war on Venezuela once and for all.

In radical solidarity,
Michelle, Medea, Teri, and the CODEPINK Team

PS: Check out a Response to the State Department’s Escalation Against Venezuela 

PPS: Don't miss out the webinar: What is Really Happening in Venezuela? Breaking down the election, post-election violence and US intervention on August 6 at 8pm (Eastern) / 5pm (Pacific). A Venezuela Solidarity Network webinar.