María Corina Machado declares victory and says she fears for her life in Wall Street Journal oped

In an exclusive Thursday oped published by The Wall Street Journal, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado declared victory and said she is in hiding because she fears for her life, after multiple threats from Nicolás Maduro’s communist regime.

“I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro,” the brave opposition leader wrote.

“Mr. Maduro didn’t win the Venezuelan presidential election on Sunday. He lost in a landslide to Edmundo González, 67% to 30%. I know this to be true because I can prove it. I have receipts obtained directly from more than 80% of the nation’s polling stations.”

In the oped, Machado says she can prove González's victory because she has records obtained from more than 80% of the electoral centers in the country.

“We knew that Mr. Maduro’s government was going to cheat,” she explained. “We have known for years what tricks the regime uses, and we are well aware that the National Electoral Council is entirely under its control. It was unthinkable that Mr. Maduro would concede defeat.”

She then recalled how she was banned from running as a candidate despite winning an open primary with overwhelming numbers.

“The regime did everything in its power to sabotage and derail our campaign. Even though I won an open primary with 92% of support, it banned me from running for president. Then it disqualified my chosen replacement, Corina Yoris,” she explained. “Eventually Mr. González bravely took on this job. All the while, dozens of my colleagues were imprisoned, and six of my top aides, including my campaign chief, sought asylum in the Argentine Embassy.”

Machado said that all Venezuelans fulfilled their duty to vote and “now it is up to the international community to decide whether to tolerate a demonstrably illegitimate government.”

“The repression must stop immediately, so that an urgent agreement can take place to facilitate the transition to democracy. I call on those who reject authoritarianism and support democracy to join the Venezuelan people in our noble cause. We won’t rest until we are free,” she vowed.