DORAL, Fla. – The Venezuelan diaspora gathered across the world on Thursday, one day ahead of the beginning of a new presidential term.
In Venezuela, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado - she is the one who led this massive effort to take on Nicolas Maduro at the ballot box - collected vote tally sheets to prove the opposition won.
6 p.m. report:
Machado appeared at a street protest in Caracas, her first public appearance since August when she went into hiding.
Her team has confirmed that shortly after the appearance, unknown men “violently intercepted” her. The motorcycle she was on was shot at.
Her team said she was briefly detained after being was shot at and that she was forced to record videos before eventually being released.
It comes a day ahead of the beginning of a new presidential term.
Back in July, 75-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez won the July vote by a 2-to-1 margin, according to vote tallies collected by his supporters.
He has promised to return to the country on Friday to assume the presidency. How he will do that remains uncertain, as Nicolas Maduro has not accepted the defeat and claims to also be the winner.
Gonzalez is currently in the Dominican Republic. He has embarked on a tour ahead of inauguration day, including meeting with President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
South Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez was asked about the situation in Venezuela. He did not rule out the possibility of military action by the U.S. if Maduro does not cede power.
“If the president of the United States says that’s what it needs, then I’m going to be supporting the president of the United States,” said Giminez.
Machado’s location in Venezuela is still unclear at this point, and there are conflicting reports about how she was detained.
Maduro’s government has promised to arrest Gonzalez if he returns to the country and has offered a $100,000 reward for his arrest.