Colombian President Gustavo Petro is notorious for his close relations with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has piloted Venezuela’s descent into dictatorship over the past decade. Since taking office two years ago, Petro has reopened the two countries’ shared border and rebuilt diplomatic ties that, after years of intermittent tensions, fell apart under his conservative predecessor. But lately, Petro has been fighting for a return to democracy in neighboring Venezuela, and he could play a decisive role in pressuring the Maduro regime to honor the results of Sunday’s presidential election.
The government-controlled electoral authorities claim that Maduro received 51 percent of the vote, but independent observers and exit polls say opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won overwhelmingly, consistent with pre-election polling. The U.S. and leaders throughout the region cast doubt on the official results, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric describing the tally as “hard to believe.” The opposition is still calibrating its response, even as clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters left 16 people, including one soldier, dead.
But any longer-term strategy to convince the Maduro regime to reconsider its decision to steal the election will rely on international support, particularly from leaders such as Petro who still have the ear of decision-makers in Caracas.