Venezuelan opposition leader says she’s in hiding and fears for her life in WSJ op-ed

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she’s in hiding, fears for her life, and can prove President Nicolas Maduro did not win Sunday’s contentious presidential election.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she’s in hiding, fears for her life, and can prove President Nicolas Maduro did not win Sunday’s contentious presidential election. “I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom,” Machado wrote in an opinion editorial published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. “I could be captured as I write these words.” A source from her campaign confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Machado is currently “sheltered.” Venezuela’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, who is a member of Maduro’s inner circle, called for the arrest of Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on Tuesday. Though the country’s Public Ministry later clarified that no arrest warrant had been issued for either opposition figure. Protests broke out across Venezuela after the country’s electoral body, which is stacked with regime allies, announced Maduro as the winner with 51% of the votes. The election was seen as the most consequential poll in years, with Venezuela’s stalling democracy and hopes of recovering its shattered economy on the line. Many young opposition supporters said they would leave the country if Maduro was re-elected, pointing to the devastating collapse of Venezuela’s economy and violent repression under his rule.