Hoping for a better future, desire for change and emotionality was the atmosphere that prevailed in the caravan led by the presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, and the political leader María Corina Machado this Saturday in Valencia, as part of the campaign activities towards the presidential election on July 28th.
lapatilla.com correspondent
The scene was repeated throughout the entire route from the North Bolívar Avenue of Valencia (starting at the crossing with Avenue 137) all the way to Cedeño Avenue and Figueredo. Thousands of people of all ages supported the rally riding motorcycles, bicycles and walking with banners in hand, flags and tricolor caps. As the caravan advanced, more people joined in, while others waited for candidate González and leader Machado to pass with their eyes full of tears.
“The spirit of Venezuelans and the hope we have is contagious. I went out to march today because this government really has us tired of so much insecurity, inflation, we can no longer live as before in other times, many people have left the country looking for a better quality of life, but they should stay here in our Venezuela because Venezuela is rich everywhere,” said a citizen from Cedeño Avenue who preferred not to identify herself.
“And it is going to fall, and it is going to fall, this government is going to fall,” chanted the citizens in different sections of the caravan route that began at 12:30 in the afternoon and lasted until after 3:00 in the afternoon, although the Carabobeños began to gather at the different points set for the mobilization before 9:00 in the morning.
Despite the intense sun, the heat and the hours of mobilization, the spirit of the Carabobeños who support González and Machado did not decline. “The energy that exists here is great, I came from Trigal by car and walked the rest of it. Everything affects me, the power outages, there are no medical supplies in the hospitals, the schools are useless, the water doesn’t reach us except twice a week, everything is bad,” said a resident of northern Valencia.
Citizens from several municipalities of Carabobo participated in the mobilization. Jesús Escalona traveled from the Miranda municipality to Valencia.
“I decided to go out and march today because we can’t stand six more years of this Government. Today I came for the youth, for democracy, to see a free country, a prosperous country, here there are no opportunities for the young people that are studying, we want to get ahead. Here there are people from very far away who came to accompany this mobilization without bonus, without anything, people are there of their own free will,” he said.
Since the morning, several main roads in Valencia were blocked by police officers, while there were checkpoints in some interchanges.
María Corina Machado: What has happened is historic
After more than two hours of travel, María Corina Machado described the mobilization as historic.
“The entire city of Valencia has overflowed, we filled Cedeño from end to end, and it is not just the number of people, it is the energy that is here. They closed the roads, they blocked the tolls, they threatened motorists, they can’t handle this, this is unstoppable,” she declared.
On his way to Carabobo, Machado had to go through the La Cabrera tunnel on a motorcycle, because traffic had been closed by police.
Likewise, Ella Machado asserted that they have an “impeccable organization” for the July 28th election. “We are going to have our 600K platform teams deployed in all voting centers and on all tables. And I tell Venezuelans, that is a day where we are going to go out and vote first, where we are going to take care of our centers, where we are going to count our votes and where we are going to celebrate,” she said.
Edmundo González: “The hand is extended to everyone”
Before starting the caravan, candidate González Urrutia held a meeting with political and union leaders at the UNT headquarters in Valencia.
There he listened to the proposals of the leaders of the different parties that make up the Democratic Unitary Platform in Carabobo, which were focused on family reunification, freedom for political prisoners, plans for youth and economic improvements.
In statements to the press, presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia stated that his government plan is framed in a project of national reconstruction and re-institutionalization of the country.
“They are all very well studied programs, very well analyzed and that aim at the total recovery of the country’s economy,” he added.
He asserted that all sectors of the country are included, even those who support other political options.
“The hand is extended to everyone because this is going to be an inclusive government and for all Venezuelans, even for those who do not think like us,” he expressed.
Bullying
Around 5:20 in the afternoon, it was learned that a group of unidentified people surrounded the restaurant in La Encrucijada where María Corina Machado, her work team and journalists from different media outlets were eating. However, after some minutes of threats against them, they managed to leave the place.