Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio sent a message on Wednesday to the members of the Armed Forces of Venezuela, calling on them to reflect and protect a people demanding truth and seeking 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 is through a massive shedding of blood. You, the police, will be asked to kill hundreds of innocent compatriots," he said in a video posted on the social media platform X.
"These people are not your enemies. They may be your relatives, neighbors, or friends. They are compatriots who, like you, have recently supported the Vinotinto," he added.
"The moment has come to make a decision: Do you want to be a puppet of the dictatorship, or do you truly want to serve your country? You all must understand that many of your colleagues have refused to follow orders, and the institution will face a real danger," stated the Republican senator.
He also stated that it is the uniformed personnel who will decide whether their country will remain under international isolation, even without the support of the 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 you, those who wear a uniform," he stated.
Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also sent a message to Venezuela's Defense Minister, General Vladimir Padrino López, urging him to respect the will of the people and acknowledge the opposition's victory.
"You hold the future of Venezuela's freedom in your hands. Imprisoning María Corina Machado and Edmundo González or turning tanks against your own people, who are merely demanding respect for the election results, is a grave mistake that your children, grandchildren, and future generations will suffer for," stated the representative from Florida.
Meanwhile, María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, spoke out firmly 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 the government's 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, a symbolic site for Chavismo, and toppled a statue approximately three meters high that had served as a landmark for political events in the region, reported La Tercera.
Similar situations occurred throughout the country, with people tearing down statues of the former leader of the Bolivarian process. Such images have been continuously shared on social media.
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