IX IDEA Group dialogue: former presidents identify errors that put democracy at risk

The international meeting held at the MDC’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami analyzed the blow to democracy in Venezuela, the repressive escalation of the Maduro regime and the consequences for the countries in the area.

Democracy in danger

The voice of indignation echoed throughout the forum. Madeline Pumariega, president of the MDC, opened the meeting with a strong message: “Today we must put democracy first, it is fragile, it is never guaranteed.”

Nelson J. Mezerhane G., president of the IDEA Foundation, highlighted Miami Dade College’s commitment to freedom and democracy: “Our democratic and freedom thoughts have a home: Miami Dade College.”

The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, in a message recorded on video, warned that “we can neither ignore nor minimize the problems of the region. They must be denounced and resolved.”

For his part, José María Aznar, former president of the Spanish Government, pointed out international responsibility for the Venezuelan crisis.

“Anyone who does not denounce Nicolás Maduro’s coup d’état is an accomplice of the dictator,” to which Asdrúbal Aguiar, general secretary of the IDEA Group, added that “the lie has undermined democracy since 1999 in Venezuela.”

Humanitarian and democratic crisis

The Latin American leaders present presented a critical vision of the Maduro regime and the consequences of his totalitarian government.

Andrés Pastrana, former president of Colombia, accused the Maduro regime of “using illicit money to stay in power,” and compared Maduro to Pablo Escobar and Diosdado Cabello to Chapo Guzmán.

“Today I tell my countryman Nicolás Maduro (audience laughter) to remember those characters and Diosdado how they ended up,” Pastrana said.

Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, denounced authoritarianism in his own country: “We are returning to that world of authoritarianism with worse leaders in Mexico.”

Fox also referred to the situation in Venezuela. “The Venezuelan regime has not only led its people to poverty, but it has them in a large prison. Not wanting to see it is more than suspicious,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Ecuadorian president Osvaldo Hurtado directly pointed to Maduro as guilty of the thousands of murders in Venezuela.

“The culprit of those 2,000 murders in Venezuela is the dictator Maduro,” said Hurtado. “There is a pending measure that the international community must seek through the International Criminal Court.”

Machado and González Urrutia

The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, in a message projected on video, declared that “July 28 is a before and after for Venezuela and for democracy in the West.”

“The IDEA Group has been a great support through multiple initiatives. It has become clear that this entire structure of Chavismo collapsed. We all know that we are living in the final hours of an era and we are about to begin another. United Venezuela defeated the regime with its own rules. Maduro knows that he only has one option and that is to negotiate a transition to a new government,” Machado said.

His words complemented the message, also by video, of the elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, who called for action to respect the results of July 28 that gave him victory against the dictator Nicolás Maduro.

And he added: “Venezuela is going through a very difficult time due to the lack of knowledge of the popular will exercised by more than eight million Venezuelans.”

Exhortation

The forum also witnessed an important exhortation. Former President Aznar emphasized the importance of an effective opposition to the regime, while his counterpart Hurtado urged the international community to demand measures through the International Criminal Court.

Likewise, former Head of State Pastrana warned about attempts to restrict freedom of the press and the independence of institutions in the region.

“We perceive symptoms of democratic degradation in the region that may follow the line that Venezuela has been following for 25 years. There are attempts to take over all our institutions, our banks and the media exposed to blackmail,” Pastrana said.

Fight for democracy

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the spirit of hope was not extinguished. Former President Fox called for the participation of young people in building a better future.

“You have to involve young people, you have to attract them to build their country and its progress. It is a great challenge,” said Fox.

In his video message, Machado highlighted that the fight for freedom in Venezuela has not stopped, while Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, former president of Bolivia, warned of the need to take strong measures against authoritarianism in the region.

“We must look for medicines to completely attack the problem of authoritarianism in the region and not simply prescribe aspirin to alleviate the problem. The foreign policy of the United States in the Biden administration towards Latin America has left much to be desired,” Quiroga pointed out.

Conclusions

In the closing remarks of the forum, the Foreign Minister of Panama, Javier Martínez Acha, emphasized that democracy must be defended with courage and determination.

“It is very difficult for there to be a more overused word than democracy. Democracy is not begging, it is conquered and defended,” he declared, after referring to the “tragic example of Venezuela” and stressed that “the power of a people is more stronger than a tyranny”.

Martínez Acha called to not allow silence to become an accomplice to the Nicolás Maduro regime. “Defending democracy is defending the future of our children,” he said.

He stressed that freedoms are not privileges but rights that must be protected, and that their implementation depends largely on the role of political parties.

The chancellor urged the Venezuelan regime to accept the overwhelming results of the elections and demanded that on January 10, Edmundo González wear the presidential sash that endorses his victory and the will expressed by Venezuelans.

“More than eight million children of Venezuela have left their country. What more can we do for Venezuela?” he questioned, emphasizing the urgency of acting.

Martínez Acha asked to promote initiatives such as that of the IDEA Group from Latin America and not to give up in the defense of democracy. “If we lose democracy in Venezuela, we will all lose,” he concluded, urging democrats to fight the battle in the midst of the “cultural war” that is currently being experienced.