It’s been a bittersweet couple of weeks
for the Venezuelan opposition, which for six months this year staged daily
protests against the authoritarian-leaning regime of president Nicolás Maduro. On
Oct. 26, the alliance – which began working together in 2008 to counterbalance
Hugo Chávez’s “Chavista” regime – was given the Sakharov Prize, one of the
world’s most prestigious human rights awards. “Today we are supporting a
nation’s freedom to struggle,” said Antonio Tajani, president of European
Parliament, in bestowing the honor upon the more than two dozen parties that
comprise Venezuela’s Democratic Unity Roundtable. However, the award came just
after the opposition had been handed a stunning defeat in Venezuela’s Oct. 15
regional elections. Despite a 75 percent approval rating, its candidates won
just five of 23 state governorships. More…
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