The United States has expressed alarm over the recent arrests of Venezuelan democratic opposition figures as the country approaches its presidential elections later this month. President Nicolas Maduro, known for his authoritarian rule, has warned his supporters of potential violence if his party does not secure a victory at the polls.
“If they do not want Venezuela to fall into a bloodbath, into a fratricidal civil war,” Maduro declared during a campaign event in Caracas on Tuesday, “the ruling party must win the presidential elections on July 28.”
Maduro emphasized that only a victory for his party would guarantee “peace” in Venezuela, asserting his expectation for “irreversible results” in his favor. CNN has sought further comments from Maduro’s office regarding his statements.
Maduro’s comments come as his government strives to maintain power for another six years amidst a formidable challenge from opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. Many analysts believe the opposition stands a genuine chance of unseating Maduro.
In the lead-up to the election, Venezuela has “unjustly detained” democratic opposition figures, civil society members, and journalists, according to the U.S. State Department, which called for their release in a statement on Wednesday.
Maduro, who has been in power for over a decade since the death of his predecessor Hugo Chavez in 2013, has frequently been accused of vote-rigging and suppressing opposition. The 2018 election that saw Maduro retain office was largely boycotted by the opposition and deemed illegitimate by an alliance of 14 Latin American nations, Canada, the United States, and described as a “farce” by the Organization of American States.
There were hopes for a different outcome in the 2024 election after Maduro promised Washington last year in a historic agreement to hold free and fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the opposition has recently accused him of reneging on that pledge. Two opposition candidates, Maria Corina Machado and Corina Yoris, have been barred from running. Additionally, a human rights group reported a surge in “arbitrary detentions” since the campaign season began on July 4.
Human rights NGO Laboratorio de Paz reported on Monday that there had been 71 arbitrary detentions in the first 10 days of campaigning, most of which involved individuals who had provided services to the campaign of opposition candidate González of the Democratic Unitary Platform.
Two days after Laboratorio’s report, barred opposition leader Machado announced on X that her security chief, Milciades Ávila, had been arrested. Machado claimed Ávila was “kidnapped” by the Maduro regime and falsely accused of gender violence against some women.