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María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia signed the "Panama Manifesto" this Thursday, a document outlining a roadmap for democratic transition in Venezuela, which was disseminated by the ConVzla Command from Panama City.
The text, called for by Machado and supported by representatives of the Unitary Democratic Platform and other Venezuelan democratic movements, begins with a statement of principles: "Venezuela is experiencing the decisive moment of its republican history.
The sovereign will expressed unmistakably by the people on July 28, 2024, which confirmed the election of Edmundo González Urrutia, marked an irreversible turning point.
One of the most significant elements of the manifesto is the explicit acknowledgment of the Three Phase Plan promoted by Washington.
The document states that the democratic forces recognize "the Three-Phase Plan proposed by the Government of the United States, and announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as an essential strategic framework for the recovery of democracy in Venezuela." This is the first time that the opposition has formally expressed this support in writing.
The manifesto outlines its roadmap along two simultaneous axes. The first is a political negotiation with the regime, which will be directly led by Machado in her role as "leader of the country's democratic process."
The text establishes preliminary conditions: the full release of political prisoners, both civilians and military, the safe return of exiles, and the dismantling of the repressive apparatus and illegal armed groups.
The stated objective of that negotiation is "to achieve the holding of a free, transparent, and sovereign presidential election, with all the guarantees dictated by the Constitution and the law, and with appropriate international observation."
To this end, the document requires the prior designation of a new National Electoral Council composed of "independent and respectable personalities" and the publication of a verifiable electoral timeline.
The second axis is the construction of a Great National Agreement for the Recovery of the Republic, open to citizens, parties, guilds, unions, churches, universities, productive sectors, young people, women, and Venezuelans both inside and outside the country. "This effort belongs to the whole country," emphasizes the text.
The manifesto warns that "the humanitarian emergency faced by Venezuelans cannot be delayed, as only in freedom can their most urgent needs be addressed," and calls for maintaining "a single, coherent, and coordinated message to the world, in close alignment with democratic allies."
The publication of the document comes days after Machado met in Panama with President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha, in addition to holding meetings with the Venezuelan diaspora and opposition leaders.
The visit to Panama is part of an intensive international tour that in April took Machado to Madrid along with González Urrutia and to Lisbon, where he met with the Portuguese chancellor to discuss the issue of political prisoners and European support for the transition.
The manifesto concludes with a proclamation that encapsulates the spirit of the document: "With faith in God, with respect for the citizen mandate, and with the determination to pave the way towards full democracy, we proclaim this Manifesto of Panama as the beginning of a new and definitive recovery of the free and democratic Republic. Long live Venezuela in freedom!"
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