Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio sent a message on Wednesday to the members of the Armed Forces of Venezuela, urging them to reflect and protect a people that demands the truth and seeks a peaceful transition following the results of the presidential elections in the South American country.
"The only way for (Nicolás) Maduro to illegitimately remain in power will be through a massive spill of blood. You, the police, will be asked to kill hundreds of innocent compatriots," he said in a video posted on the social network X.
"These people are not your enemies. These people can be your family members, neighbors, or friends. They are compatriots who, like you, recently supported the Vinotinto," he added.
"The time has come to make a decision: Do you want to be a puppet of the dictatorship or do you genuinely want to serve your country? All of you should be clear that many of your colleagues refused to follow orders, and the institution will face a real danger," expressed the Republican senator.
He also indicated that it is the uniformed personnel who will be able to decide whether their country will continue under international isolation, even without the support of historical allies of the chavista dictatorship.
"The only option for the survival of Maduro's regime is the mass murder of the Venezuelan people, but the only institution capable of preventing that catastrophe is represented by you, who are wearing a uniform," he stated.
Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also sent a message to the Venezuelan Minister of Defense, General Vladimir Padrino López, in which she urged him to respect the will of the people and acknowledge the opposition's victory.
"You hold the future of freedom in Venezuela in your hands. Imprisoning María Corina Machado and Edmundo González or using tanks against your own people who are simply demanding respect for the election results is a big mistake that your children, your grandchildren, and future generations will pay for," stated the representative from Florida.
Meanwhile, María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, strongly spoke out this Wednesday following the recent elections, denouncing electoral fraud and violent repression by Nicolás Maduro's regime.
Machado stated that "Venezuela and the whole world know that violence is the last resort of Maduro's regime," highlighting the desperate nature of government actions.
In an escalation of protests against the electoral results that granted victory to Maduro, Venezuelans toppled a statue of the dictator Hugo Chávez in Coro, Falcón state.
The protesters gathered in Plaza Hugo Chávez, an emblematic site for chavismo, and toppled a statue about three meters tall, which had served as a landmark for political events in the region, reported La Tercera.
Similar situations occurred throughout the country, with people toppling statues of the former leader of the Bolivarian process. Such images have been continuously shared on social media.
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