Politics Venezuela's opposition leader warns of unprecedented wave of migration

Following the presidential election in Venezuela, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, opposition leader María Corina Machado has warned of an unprecedented wave of migration. "If Maduro decides to stay in power by force, we could see a wave of migration like we've never seen before: Three, four, five million Venezuelans in a very short time," Machado said in a video conference with Mexican journalists. This could only be prevented with a democratic transition.

The left-wing governments of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia also have an important role to play here, as they could help to set the conditions for a negotiation, as Machado said on Wednesday.

A resolution calling for the publication of detailed election results and a guarantee of freedom of assembly, among other things, did not receive a majority at an emergency meeting of the Permanent Council of the Confederation of States due to these three states. Mexico did not send a representative to the meeting, Brazil and Colombia abstained from voting, although their left-wing presidents had also previously expressed doubts about the official election results and called for the publication of the results lists.

The electoral authority, which is loyal to the party line, officially declared President Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the election. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for its candidate Edmundo González. "We need the international community to make its voice heard", said Machado.

Venezuela has been in a serious political and economic crisis for years. More than seven million people - a quarter of the population - have left the country in the past ten years due to poverty and violence. Mexico is on the migration route for people trying to reach the USA.

SDA