Venezuelans in Hungary reject electoral fraud
Nearly a hundred Venezuelans spontaneously gathered at the iconic Heroes’ Square to reject the electoral fraud declared by Nicolás Maduro and denounce the wave of violence besieging the Venezuelan people.
Waving tricolor flags, the demonstrators caught the attention of passersby and tourists, who did not hesitate to show their support. Many of those present expressed their desire to return to their homeland and their concern for family members still living in Venezuela.
Venezuela, once known worldwide for the charismatic Hugo Chávez, is now in the news for the largest migration wave in modern history, with nearly 8 million displaced people.
Why Are Venezuelans Protesting Worldwide?
On July 28, Venezuela held presidential elections with 9 candidates running against Nicolás Maduro. Edmundo González Urrutia, supported by opposition leader María Corina Machado, had the greatest advantage.
However, the elections were marred by irregularities. The main opposition leader was excluded, and overseas voters faced numerous obstacles, resulting in only 69,000 voters out of nearly 8 million Venezuelans abroad.
Since 2018, the Venezuelan community in Hungary has grown significantly. By 2024, more than 1,200 Venezuelans have settled in this country.
The National Electoral Council announced Maduro’s re-election with 51% of the votes, a figure rejected by the people. The opposition, through 60,000 coordinations called “comanditos,” safeguarded copies of the electoral records, certifying González Urrutia as the winner by a margin of 30 points.
The People’s Response
Following the government’s announcement, people took to the streets. In the first 36 hours of protests, 749 people were detained, including 17 minors, 11 forced disappearances, and 16 deaths, mostly from gunshot wounds to the head or chest.
“I came to raise my voice for all those brothers and sisters still in Venezuela fighting and being harshly punished by Maduro’s repression. None of us wanted to leave our country; we were forced by the situation. In Venezuela, there is no water or electricity for the people, we have the lowest wages on the continent, there are no medicines in hospitals, and many of us did what our parents or grandparents did when the communist boot hit Hungary. We cannot repeat history and remain silent; the world needs to know what is happening in Venezuela,” said a protester who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
The gathering in Budapest, which lasted just over two hours, ended with the group singing the Venezuelan national anthem, amid smiles of hope and tears, aspiring to return to their homeland someday.
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Orban is the Maduro of the EU
It’s a complete shame that Fidesz backed the communist dictatorship of Maduro by blocking an EU vote to condemn electoral fraud in the Venezuelan election. Russia backs the communist dictatorships of Cuba and Venezuela because those two countries are hostile to the US and Hungary in turn as a satellite of Russia backs Russian foreign policy supporting the Maduro dictatorship. Name any dictatorship and chances are Hungary supports it because Hungary is a dictatorship.
Jose, you are pixilated. No one ever protested the legitimacy of Hungary’s elections. EU observers were present at all elections and could not criticize the process. Elections are fair and legal and P.M. Orban is elected over and over again because he puts the interests of Hungarians first.
Jose, you must be jealous because your government and president jumps at Brussels’ orders.
Maria you donr even know me. But it looks like it hurts to face the reality about the VICTatorship we have here. Orban can not really behave as Putin as whole, but take a look to the amount of propaganda he spreads in the streets, the highways, the tv, heck, i even receive some emails about his BS. But continue your life in a buble, im sure you are as happy and poor as the most of the Hungarians