Dissidents in Venezuela Plot Return in Bid to Deter Maduro

In a video interview with The Wall Street Journal from an undisclosed location in Venezuela, María Corina Machado called on supporters to join her on the streets to protest Maduro's plan to begin a third presidential term on Friday despite his huge loss in last summer's election. Maduro's regime launched a brutal crackdown on opposition figures and protests in the wake of his election defeat.

Edmundo González, who stood in for Machado when the regime barred her from running for president and was forced into exile after the result, met with President Biden at the White House on Monday. After the meeting, he thanked the Biden administration "for its support in this struggle for the democratic recovery of Venezuela. It's a commitment we carry with us."

Biden, in a post on X, called González "a man whose campaign inspired millions and one who should be taking the oath of office in four days."

Venezuela has suffered an economic implosion, diplomatic isolation and a civilian exodus during Maduro's 12-year rule. He has cemented the country's position as a haven for drug traffickers, U.S. officials say, and given Russia and China a sturdier foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

"If Maduro remains, prepare yourself because we will see three, four or five million Venezuelans crossing the border," Machado, a conservative, said on Sunday.

She called on supporters to defy the threat of arrest and "go out with their families, with their children, with their grandparents," to denounce the authoritarian president's move. But, with the military still under Maduro's control, there is little evidence that Venezuelans will heed the call.

Troops have largely shut dissent after violently quashing protests following the July 28 vote. Government officials in Caracas didn't respond to requests for comment.

The military's counterintelligence unit said in recent days it would deploy some 1,200 armed troops to quell protests. They are led by National Guard Col. Alexander Granko, who is under U.S. sanctions for alleged human-rights abuses. Police have set up roadblocks around the capital.

From hiding, where Machado says she has been alone for months, the 57-year-old has conducted a covert campaign to rally support for Venezuela's political opposition via video calls with people from foreign leaders and diplomats to activists and supporters, she says.

After the elections, Machado's party collected voter tallies showing González defeated Maduro in a landslide.

The regime didn't provide evidence that it had won but embarked on a campaign of repression, targeting the opposition. González, a 75-year-old former diplomat, initially fled to exile in Spain and is now rallying support in the Americas. He met with Argentine President Javier Milei on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

At the international airport outside Caracas, the government has distributed fliers featuring González's face, offering $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Over the past five months, the regime has jailed more than 2,200 people, mainly dissidents, maintained the military's loyalty and tasked the Supreme Court, stacked with Maduro's handpicked allies, with resolving the election impasse, which it did in his favor.

"Anyone who had an important responsibility in the movement and in the success of the July 28 victory is either exiled, hiding or imprisoned," Machado said, adding that the security forces have visited her elderly mother and the relatives of other activists. "In my case, Maduro says I'm a terrorist who'd fled justice, that I should spend my life in jail."