February 17, Pozirk. Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja met Edmundo González, Venezuela’s opposition politician, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 16 to discuss pressure on undemocratic governments in their respective counties.
The politicians talked about potential ways of ending the political crisis and reprisals in Belarus and Venezuela, noting cooperation between Nicolás Maduro and Alaksandar Łukašenka, her aide Franak Viačorka has told Pozirk.
Cichanoŭskaja expressed support and solidarity with Venezuelan people fighting for freedom, he added.
The politicians also discussed their relations with the new United States administration, shared their experience supporting exiled co-nationals and agreed to organize joint human rights events.
In power in Venezuela since 2013, Maduro was declared the winner in the contested July 2024 election with 51 percent in a vote riddled with irregularities, despite enormous momentum from the opposition movement. The ruling party claimed that his chief rival González garnered 44 percent. The Maduro’s government has invented election results before, and this tally was immediately called into question by the opposition.
Democratic countries sanctioned Venezuelan entities and individuals associated with his government.
