The Cuban opposition platform considers it to be the “expression of citizen sovereignty”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 5 January 2026 — The Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), one of the main platforms for organizing the opposition on the island, called this Sunday for a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela, following the US operation in Caracas and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
“We recognize that the origin of this situation lies in the profound national and international illegitimacy of the government of Nicolás Maduro, allied with groups and countries recognized as terrorists and immersed in drug trafficking,” the opposition platform on the island said in a statement.
The CTDC stressed that sovereignty “cannot be invoked by regimes that have violated the basic principle of democratic legitimacy” and cited the island as an example. “Beyond their impact on Venezuela, a country with which we share a common history and which we consider a brother, these events have direct implications for Cuba ,” it added.
“These events have direct implications for Cuba”
It also stated that the fall of “an authoritarian figure and the likely collapse of a power structure based on repression, international crime and illegitimacy highlight an inescapable reality.”
Furthermore, the CTDC considered that Maduro “ignored the popular will expressed in the elections of July 28, 2024, where Edmundo González was elected, supported as president by the majority of the people and the Venezuelan democratic opposition,” and he affirmed that “as an expression of citizen sovereignty, he supports without reservation.”
However, for the United States, as stated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is leading this process, the elections in which Edmundo González participated were “illegitimate,” affirming this Sunday on NBC that the process lacked “democratic validity.”
The Venezuelan opposition has regained strength and has begun to mobilize around the world
Following Maduro’s capture, the Venezuelan opposition has regained strength and begun mobilizing worldwide. One example of this is the conversation between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and María Corina Machado , in which he expressed his country’s support for a “peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led” transition process, in contrast to recent statements by the Trump administration.
The head of government’s office said in a statement that Carney conveyed to Machado his “unwavering support” and that the transition process must be anchored in the “sovereign right of the Venezuelan people to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.”
Both the Canadian Prime Minister and Machado stated that it is “important to seize this opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity in Venezuela.”
The European Commission expressed a similar sentiment on Monday, calling for a democratic transition in Venezuela that includes María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, through its spokesperson Anitta Hipper at the commission’s daily press conference.
The European Commission called for a democratic transition in Venezuela that includes María Corina Machado and Edmundo González.
While the steps Venezuela will take following Maduro’s capture are being outlined, the Venezuelan diaspora around the world continues to celebrate. In Miami, for example, the festivities continued this Sunday with the hope that Machado or Edmundo González—considered the winner of the 2024 elections—will eventually assume the presidency.
“They started with the stupidest one (referring to Maduro), but the transition has already begun and we are tremendously happy,” Adán Acosta, a young Venezuelan who participated in the demonstration called in Miami by Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, told EFE.
Hundreds of Venezuelan compatriots gathered near the El Arepazo restaurant, one of the most emblematic places in the city of Doral, where a large part of the Venezuelans live – the largest community in the US – in the Miami metropolitan area.
“If you’re not Venezuelan, you can’t understand what it feels like. I’ve been waiting for this moment for 26 years.”
Many of them said they hadn’t slept since early Saturday morning, when they learned of the US attacks on Venezuela, but described it as a “happy insomnia.” Others were thrilled at the thought of reuniting with their families: “If you’re not Venezuelan, you can’t understand what it feels like. I’ve been waiting 26 years for this moment,” said Elías Benasayag.
As for Edmundo González Urrutia, the man under intense scrutiny, it was reported this Sunday that his X account was hacked. The Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Venezuela’s largest opposition coalition, reported the incident hours after the opposition leader posted a video calling for the release of political prisoners to normalize the country.
“We are informing you that President Edmundo González Urrutia’s account, X, was hacked after a video was posted today (Sunday) at 5 pm,” the coalition stated in a brief message posted on that social network. They added that the recovery of his account will be announced “in due course.”
Edmundo González Urrutia’s X account was hacked after a video was posted.
Shortly afterward, a message was posted on González Urrutia’s account, which was later deleted. The post addressed the freedom and sovereignty of Venezuelans following the US military attack on Caracas and other parts of Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
At the end of the message, $LIBRA was promoted, a cryptocurrency token that operates on blockchain, which was promoted last year by the Argentine president, Javier Milei, and from which he later distanced himself after learning about a possible link of this token with virtual scams.
Earlier, the former presidential candidate stated in a video on X that what happened in Venezuela after the capture of Maduro by the United States “constitutes an important step, but not enough,” and that “the real normalization of the country will only be possible when all Venezuelans deprived of their freedom for political reasons are released.”
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