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Supporters of Venezuela’s Machado rally in cities around the world

Supporters of Venezuela’s Machado rally in cities around the world

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have rallied in countries around the world to celebrate her Nobel Peace Prize win ahead of Wednesday’s award ceremony Thousands of people marched through Madrid, Utrecht, Buenos Aires, Lima, Brisbane and other cities on Saturday in support of 58-year-old Machado, who won the Nobel award for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in Venezuela. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The crowd in Peru’s capital, Lima, carried portraits of Machado and demanded a “Free Venezuela”. With the country’s yellow, blue and red flag draped over their backs or emblazoned on their caps, demonstrators clutched posters that read, “The Nobel Prize is from Venezuela.” Veronica Duran, a 41-year-old Venezuelan who has lived in Lima for eight years, said Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize is celebrated because “it represents all Venezuelans, the fallen and the political prisoners in their fight to recover democracy”. Machado, who has been in hiding since August 2024, wants to use the attention gained by the award to highlight Venezuela ‘s democratic aspirations. Her organisation said it expected demonstrations in more than 80 cities around the world. In Colombia, a group of Venezuelans gathered in the capital, Bogota, wearing white T-shirts and carrying balloons as part of a religious ceremony in which supporters asked that the Nobel Peace Prize “be a symbol of hope” for the Venezuelan people. Meanwhile, in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires, some 500 people gathered on the steps of the law school at the country’s largest university, improvising a torchlit march with their mobile phones. Advertisement “We Venezuelans in the world have a smile today, because we celebrate the Nobel Prize of María Corina and of the entire Venezuelan diaspora, and of all the brave people within Venezuela who have sacrificed themselves… we have so many martyrs, heroes of the resistance,” said Nancy Hoyer, a 60-year-old supporter. The gatherings come at a critical point in the country’s protracted crisis as the administration of United States President Donald Trump builds up a massive military deployment in the Caribbean, threatening repeatedly to strike Venezuelan soil. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s has branded the US operation an effort to end his hold on power. The Trump administration has said it does not recognise Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, as Venezuela’s legitimate president. Maduro claimed a re-election victory last year in a national ballot that the US and other Western governments dismissed as a sham, and which independent observers said the opposition won overwhelmingly. Machado had won the opposition’s primary election and intended to run against Maduro, but the government barred her from running for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, who had never run for office before, took her place. The lead-up to the July 28, 2024, election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. It all increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary. Gonzalez sought asylum in Spain last year after a Venezuelan court issued a warrant for his arrest. Meanwhile, Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in what ended up being an underwhelming protest in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital. The following day, Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term. “We are living through times where our composure, our conviction and our organisation are being tested,” Machado said in a video message shared on Tuesday on social media. “Times when our country needs even more dedication, because now, all these years of struggle, the dignity of the Venezuelan people, have been recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize.” Machado won the award on October 10 for keeping “the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness”. According to the head of the Nobel Institute, Machado has promised to go to Norway to pick up her prize on Wednesday. “I was in contact with Machado last night [Friday], and she confirms that she will be in Oslo for the ceremony,” Kristian Berg Harpviken told the AFP news agency. Advertisement “Given the security situation, we cannot say more about the date or how she will arrive,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Hong Kong votes in ‘patriots only’ polls amid anger over deadly fire

Hong Kong votes in ‘patriots only’ polls amid anger over deadly fire

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee urges the public to come out and vote amid expectations of a low turnout. Voters in Hong Kong are heading to the polls to elect new lawmakers under China’s “patriots only” rules, though government efforts to drive turnout have been overshadowed by anger over the city’s handling of a major deadly fire. Polls opened early on Sunday across the autonomous Chinese city to select 90 legislators, though only 20 of those seats are directly elected. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The election is only the second time since the city overhauled the electoral system to ensure that only those deemed “patriots” can run for office. Political campaigning for the polls was abruptly paused in late November, after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong, killing at least 159 people. Al Jazeera’s Laura Westbrook, reporting from Hong Kong, said “there had been some questions” whether the voting should go ahead in light of the tragedy, believed to be the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980. “But Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, said the vote should go ahead, as a way to maintain stability, and that he needed the newly elected legislature to help push through reforms as well as ensure the recovery and reconstruction efforts can move ahead quickly,” Westbrook said. Lee had earlier announced a judge-led “independent committee” to investigate the fire, which devastated seven apartment blocks that were undergoing renovations. He has also urged the people of Hong Kong to take part in the polls, saying their ballots represented reform and support to the fire victims. Advertisement On Sunday, a sombre-looking Lee was seen casting his vote in the city. Political campaigning was abruptly paused after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong in late November, killing at least 159 people, and triggering public anger over the handling of the tragedy [Philip Fong/AFP] As of this week, police have arrested 15 people from various construction companies on suspicion of manslaughter. Police also reportedly arrested at least three people for sedition for making public criticism of the government in the wake of the fire. Among those detained was 24-year-old student Miles Kwan, who handed out flyers calling for government accountability. Kwan was later reported to have been released. Earlier this week, a university in the city also shut operations of its student union after messages were posted on campus expressing condolences and urging justice for the victims of the fire. Legislative elections in Hong Kong used to entail boisterous clashes between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps, with the latter often winning about 60 percent of the popular vote. But in 2020, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law after the city was roiled by huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests. The first contest held under the new rules later that year saw a record low turnout of less than 30 percent. Some pro-democracy lawmakers have been jailed, including as part of a subversion case that concluded last year, while others resigned or fled Hong Kong. Sunday’s race will once again be devoid of the two largest pro-democracy parties after the Civic Party disbanded in 2023 and the Democratic Party said it is winding down. Before the fire, authorities had blanketed much of the city in promotional material and extended the operating hours of polling stations. About a third of the outgoing cohort of lawmakers, including veterans such as Regina Ip and legislature president Andrew Leung, are not seeking another term. Adblock test (Why?)