Venezuelan opposition leader urges Colombia's president to recognize her faction's electoral victory

BOGOTA, Colombia — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Tuesday urged Colombia's president to be decisive and recognize her faction's victory in her country's contested July presidential election.

Machado's message to President Gustavo Petro, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, came in a virtual address she gave during a regular session of Colombia's Senate. The speech was part of an effort to increase international pressure on Maduro to leave office in January.

''To the Government of Colombia, especially President Petro: It is time for decisions,'' she said from an undisclosed location. ''Silence is no longer an option in the face of what is happening in Venezuela. The transition is inevitable, and with the participation of your government, as we have said, we are willing to move forward in a constructive negotiation that is based on respect for the popular sovereignty expressed by Venezuelans on July 28.''

Machado has not been seen in public for about two months. She went into hiding fearing arrest.

Electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner of the contest hours after polls closed. But they did not publish a breakdown of results as they had done in previous presidential elections. They claimed they could not release the detailed information because their website was hacked.

However, the main opposition coalition, led by Machado, secured vote tally sheets from more than 80% of the electronic voting machines used across the country and published them online. On Tuesday, she stressed before Colombia's senators that the voting records showed opposition candidate Edmundo González defeated Maduro by a landslide and asked for their support to make a government transition ''a reality.''

''To you, honorable senators, I ask you to be guarantors of our victory and to be the voice of those of us who today are facing the most atrocious and ruthless repression,'' she said after citing examples of the government's actions following the election, including the detention and alleged torture of dozens of minors.

Venezuela's next presidential term begins Jan. 10.

In the days after the election, Petro, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador – all leftists and friendly with Maduro – inserted themselves into Venezuela's election standoff to attempt a peacemaking effort. But it went nowhere, and Maduro has since consolidated his rule, reshuffled his cabinet and jailed more than 2,000 opponents.

Meanwhile, González, a former diplomat, left Venezuela in September for exile in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with an investigation into the online publishing of the vote tally sheets.

Machado also pointed out on Tuesday the potential impact within Colombia of another six-year term for Maduro as president. Under Maduro's presidency, she said, ''there will be no peace in Colombia" because he has transformed Venezuela ''into a sanctuary for the operations of criminal guerrilla groups'' with roots in Colombia.

A crucial matter in Petro's agenda since coming into office in 2022 is achieving peace agreements with Colombia's National Liberation Army and Segunda Marquetalia rebel groups, both of which operate along the border with Venezuela. Maduro's government agreed to be a guarantor in the peace processes, but negotiations with the National Liberation Army stalled earlier this year.