"Tyrannical Actions": Miami Politicians Echo Outrage Over Venezuelan Election Results

With the largest population of Venezuelans of any United States metro area, South Florida is uniquely dialed into political turmoil in Venezuela.

The demographic has only grown in Miami in recent years as many Venezuelans migrated to the area amid economic collapse in their home country, bringing with them a strong disdain for Nicolás Maduro, whose presidency in Venezuela has coincided with hyperinflation and financial ruin.

When Venezuela's election played out in chaotic fashion early this week — with Maduro and his opponent, former diplomat Edmund González Urrutia, both claiming victory — outrage spread among Venezuelans in Miami. Hope for change in the nation's leadership turned to disillusionment as voters complained of corruption and election fraud by the far-left Maduro, who has been labeled a despot by international leaders.

South Florida politicians — Democrats and Republicans alike — have echoed the sentiment and tapped into Miamians' angst and anger since Sunday evening, calling for Maduro to step down while accusing him of rigging the contest.

One of the more pointed statements came from U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Miami native with Cuban roots. She called Maduro a dictator and said he is "once again trying to steal the elections in one of the most blatant acts of fraud ever seen in Venezuelan history." Maduro has been Venezuela's president since 2013 through the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

"We on the House Foreign Affairs Committee won't let him get away with it this time. His crimes will not go unanswered," Salazar said.
Though exit polls appeared to show González with a strong lead, Venezuelan government officials claimed Maduro prevailed with 51 percent of the vote to González's 44 percent. The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the election on Monday. The victory was made official despite opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's claim that González's margin of victory was "overwhelming."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had "serious concerns" with the results.

Maduro has repeatedly accused the U.S. of trying to orchestrate regime change and financially cripple the nation with sanctions. He said during a national ceremony this week, "We have always been victims of the powerful."

"An attempt is being made to impose a coup d’état in Venezuela again of a fascist and counterrevolutionary nature," Maduro claimed. "We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness."

As the frustration brews in South Florida's Venezuelan community, here's how South Florida politicians have reacted to the election.

On behalf of Miami-Dade County and in solidarity with Venezuela, I urge the U.S. to act swiftly to impose strong sanctions on the Maduro regime for undermining democracy. We must demand transparency and international oversight in future elections. My letter to @SecBlinken: pic.twitter.com/P5iMbh3fzw

— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) July 29, 2024

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava penned a letter to Sec. Blinken on Monday with "an urgent plea on behalf of the Venezuelan people, the residents of Miami-Dade County, and countless others who stand in solidarity with the principles of democracy and human rights."

"The world witnessed another blatant attempt by the Maduro regime to undermine the democratic processes in Venezuela through what can only be described as an egregious effort to steal the election," Levine Cava wrote. "The reported manipulation of election outcomes, suppression of opposition voices, and intimidation of voters have marked a new low in a series of tyrannical actions perpetrated by the illegitimate Venezuelan government."

Levine Cava urged the Department of State to support an international investigation into the election results and implement sanctions against Maduro, who already has an open indictment against him in U.S. federal court over narco-trafficking allegations.

Biden & Harris broadly eased Trump sanctions on Maduro regime as part of a “deal” for elections in #Venezuela

Today was that election and it was a complete fraud

The latest example of how our enemies have suckered Biden and Harris repeatedly over the last four years

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 29, 2024

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio chimed in by calling the contest "the most predictable and ridiculous sham election in modern history."

"After announcing a complete fraud in the election, expect the Maduro regime will now begin to blackout the internet inside of Venezuela to make it difficult for those inside to communicate with each other and to the world," Rubio said.

The senator criticized President Joe Biden's administration for temporarily easing sanctions against Maduro as an incentive to work with the opposition in Venezuela on improving election conditions.

The Biden administration reversed course in April and reinstated the sanctions after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was blocked from the Venezuelan ballot. The administration revoked a critical license that had allowed Venezuela, which sits on massive petrol reserves, to export oil more freely — a move that Maduro said was in line with U.S. policy of "blackmail."

#VenezuelaLibre pic.twitter.com/JJraCMpIcZ

— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) July 29, 2024

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez labeled the contest a "stolen election" in a statement Monday. He sought to equate Maduro's government with the Castro regime in Cuba.

"Despite exit polling showing Urrutia defeated him handily, Maduro is clinging to power illegitimately and under fraudulent circumstances. Miamians are familiar with the tactics of backward, leftist dictatorships like those in Cuba and Venezuela," Suarez said.

Once again the Maduro regime proves that it is devoid of any legitimacy. Venezuelans voted in huge numbers for the opposition candidate, yet he fraudulently declares himself the winner.

We stand with the people of Venezuela, with democracy & against the criminal regime. https://t.co/CYWz4gPttL

— Miami-Dade Democrats (@MiamiDadeDems) July 29, 2024

On Monday night, the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee stated that "it is abhorrent that the Maduro regime is attempting to silence" the voices of Venezuelan voters. Led by Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, the committee said the "people of Venezuela have spoken loudly and clearly that they want change and a true democracy in their homeland."

The committee called for "the publication of the detailed vote tabulation and election information immediately."