Authoritarian leaders like Hugo Chavez systematically dismantle democracy from within after winning elections. They replace competent individuals in the military and government with those who are absolutely loyal, destroying meritocracy to ensure the state apparatus serves the regime, not the people.
Maria Corina Machado describes her generation as one that held politics in contempt and took democracy for granted. This widespread apathy created a power vacuum that allowed Hugo Chavez to rise, teaching a harsh lesson that freedom requires constant and active civic engagement to be preserved.
The Maduro regime is not just a corrupt petrostate; it is a diversified criminal enterprise. It has expanded into drug trafficking, gold smuggling, and human trafficking, turning Venezuela into a safe haven for global criminal networks, terrorist groups, and adversaries like Russia and Iran.
Venezuela's state-owned oil industry centralized wealth in the government, creating a populace feeling excluded. This enabled Hugo Chavez's populist rise, as he could promise to redistribute state-controlled resources, an appealing message amid corruption and low oil prices.
According to Maria Corina Machado, Nicolás Maduro's rise to power was not an internal decision but a direct choice by the Cuban government. Having been trained in Cuba and demonstrating total loyalty to the Castro regime, Maduro was selected to ensure Cuba's continued influence and control over Venezuela.
To crush popular dissent after losing an election, the Maduro regime escalated to what international bodies label "state terrorism." This included imprisoning not just activists but also their family members and even citizens who merely posted a supportive picture online, aiming to terrify the entire population into silence.
Facing a fraudulent state electoral system, Maria Corina Machado's movement built its own verification infrastructure. By recruiting over a million volunteers, using custom apps, and smuggling in Starlink antennas, they collected and digitized original tally sheets, providing irrefutable public proof of their election victory.
China loaned Venezuela over $60 billion but halted funding due to extreme corruption. Instead of making new strategic investments, China now focuses on asset recovery, accepting oil shipments simply to pay down the massive outstanding debt. This highlights the limits of 'debt trap diplomacy' in utterly dysfunctional states.