<h6><strong>Julio García</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Venezuelan opposition leader, Edmundo González Urrutia, collected the Sakharov Prize for freedom of conscience awarded by the European Parliament on Tuesday in Strasbourg, and did so alongside the daughter of the other prizewinner, María Corina Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, who for now cannot leave her country.</strong></h4> In front of the MEPs, González claimed to be the president-elect again - something that the European Parliament itself already recognises - and insisted that he will be in Caracas on 10 January to take office. «The future of Venezuela is in the hands of its people», recalled the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, before giving the floor to González himself, who carried in his hand the electoral records that prove his victory. «This is what the Maduro regime cannot prove, because it does not have the votes to claim the presidency», she said. The opposition leader sees this award as a “collective recognition” and recalled the last elections as a “great day, a historic moment.” On his social network X, Metsola expresses that giving this award to González is an honor and affirms that “his courage and dedication to democracy and freedom are inspiring.” Before the plenary, González Urrutia said that this award is “an enormous responsibility” and “a rich historical legacy” because it commits “to the memory of those who have preceded me in receiving it,” he said, and cited Nelson Mandela or Alexey Navalni, among others. “It is the people of Venezuela who truly embody the spirit of this award,” he added, before maintaining that he is not surprised by Maduro’s dynamics: “We know well what we are facing, it is a regime that undermines human rights, democracy and freedoms. It is an autocratic state.” “Those who intend to kidnap what belongs to all Venezuelans know that sooner rather than later our country will resume the course that our people have already set. "Abuse is a clumsy instrument to postpone the inevitable," González Urrutia said from the podium, aware of the risks that the Venezuelan opposition has been taking for many years. The diplomat stressed the fact that the country has already overcome moments like these in the past. In Spanish, English and French, González recalled that Maduro "governs through violence" but that Venezuelans "will advance under freedom and democracy." Thus, González Urrutia has "the commitment" to "reach out to all those who want to advance on the path of concord." The Sakharov, she concluded, "symbolizes the unity between the democrats of the world, who now more than ever need each other. Our fight is everyone's fight. Long live a free Venezuela." Metsola, for her part, reiterated that her position is "consistent" regarding the recognition of González. "It is the message I gave to the leaders of the member states," the president of the European Parliament insisted when asked how she can convince countries to follow these steps with González. "There are some governments that are aligned with our position," he stressed. For the moment, the majority of the 27 are more cautious while waiting for what happens in January, including Spain, which has granted asylum to the candidate, but has not elevated him to the category of president-elect of Venezuela.
