Ai bot
A 33-year-old Venezuelan, made the difficult decision to leave her homeland due to the dire economic situation, with 80% of the population living in poverty, and being unable to provide a specialist for her 9-year-old son who has a mental health disability.
Yenny Morales said: “I had to flee, because my son couldn’t see a neurologist. The health of my kids comes first.” She is currently in Mexico, awaiting an appointment to apply for asylum in the United States.
Following the controversial presidential election in Venezuela on Sunday, where President Nicolas Maduro, a socialist who has been in power since 2013, declared victory. However, the opposition claims that based on their count of roughly 90% of the ballots, their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, garnered more than twice the votes that Maduro did.
The government maintained that it had not generated detailed vote counts at the polling station level due to a system hack originating in North Macedonia, causing the prolonged delay. They provided no evidence to support this claim.
Morales’ concerns have shifted to her loved ones back home. She said: “This is fraud,” referring to the widely criticized results, “and now that’s what our families are fighting against,” she added. She has not been in contact with her family since Tuesday morning.
Morales, a resident of a temporary makeshift camp in Mexico City’s center, belongs to the growing number of Venezuelan migrants who are increasingly worried about their loved ones back in their homeland. Having journeyed through Central America in pursuit of a better future, they are now closely monitoring the demonstrations that have erupted in response to the announcement of Maduro’s third six-year term.
The was among the most tranquil in Venezuela’s recent history, indicating a widespread desire for the country to steer clear of violence and put an end to a end 25 years of single-party rule.
“I’m very disappointed with what I’m seeing,” said Gerardo Uzcategui, 56, who spent four years in Cali, Colombia before beginning his journey to the US Uzcategui’s sentiment echoes the frustration felt by many Venezuelan migrants who had hoped for a peaceful resolution to their country’s political turmoil.
The former police officer in charge of security for a government minister revealed that his entire family has now fled. He mentioned having children in different countries. I have a daughter in Argentina and a son in Mexico, he said adding that “we were happy around 3 pm on Sunday, thinking there was going to be change, but 11 pm came around and everything changed. It’s really, really hard on us.”
The sharp decline in oil prices, scarcity of essential goods, and an inflation rate surpassing 130,000%, has triggered widespread social unrest and a massive exodus of over 7.7 million Venezuelans in the past ten years.
According to Foro Penal, a Venezuela-based human rights organization, 11 people, including two minors, lost their lives in the unrest that followed the election.
Herberto Lugo, 48, expressed relief that his family in the coastal city of Maracaibo has been spared from the violent protests, but his opinion of Maduro’s tight control over Venezuela remains unchanged. “We’re uncomfortable, and we won’t conform to what is happening in our country,” said Lugo, who thinks opposition leader and former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez was the clear winner of the election.
“People in Venezuela are fighting, and we hope he leaves this week,” he said, referring to Maduro. “If he doesn’t leave this week, he’ll never leave.”
(With inputs from agencies)
Yenny Morales said: “I had to flee, because my son couldn’t see a neurologist. The health of my kids comes first.” She is currently in Mexico, awaiting an appointment to apply for asylum in the United States.
Following the controversial presidential election in Venezuela on Sunday, where President Nicolas Maduro, a socialist who has been in power since 2013, declared victory. However, the opposition claims that based on their count of roughly 90% of the ballots, their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, garnered more than twice the votes that Maduro did.
The government maintained that it had not generated detailed vote counts at the polling station level due to a system hack originating in North Macedonia, causing the prolonged delay. They provided no evidence to support this claim.
Morales’ concerns have shifted to her loved ones back home. She said: “This is fraud,” referring to the widely criticized results, “and now that’s what our families are fighting against,” she added. She has not been in contact with her family since Tuesday morning.
Morales, a resident of a temporary makeshift camp in Mexico City’s center, belongs to the growing number of Venezuelan migrants who are increasingly worried about their loved ones back in their homeland. Having journeyed through Central America in pursuit of a better future, they are now closely monitoring the demonstrations that have erupted in response to the announcement of Maduro’s third six-year term.
The was among the most tranquil in Venezuela’s recent history, indicating a widespread desire for the country to steer clear of violence and put an end to a end 25 years of single-party rule.
“I’m very disappointed with what I’m seeing,” said Gerardo Uzcategui, 56, who spent four years in Cali, Colombia before beginning his journey to the US Uzcategui’s sentiment echoes the frustration felt by many Venezuelan migrants who had hoped for a peaceful resolution to their country’s political turmoil.
The former police officer in charge of security for a government minister revealed that his entire family has now fled. He mentioned having children in different countries. I have a daughter in Argentina and a son in Mexico, he said adding that “we were happy around 3 pm on Sunday, thinking there was going to be change, but 11 pm came around and everything changed. It’s really, really hard on us.”
The sharp decline in oil prices, scarcity of essential goods, and an inflation rate surpassing 130,000%, has triggered widespread social unrest and a massive exodus of over 7.7 million Venezuelans in the past ten years.
According to Foro Penal, a Venezuela-based human rights organization, 11 people, including two minors, lost their lives in the unrest that followed the election.
Herberto Lugo, 48, expressed relief that his family in the coastal city of Maracaibo has been spared from the violent protests, but his opinion of Maduro’s tight control over Venezuela remains unchanged. “We’re uncomfortable, and we won’t conform to what is happening in our country,” said Lugo, who thinks opposition leader and former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez was the clear winner of the election.
“People in Venezuela are fighting, and we hope he leaves this week,” he said, referring to Maduro. “If he doesn’t leave this week, he’ll never leave.”
(With inputs from agencies)
