When Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was recently awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, she received the honor for her “tireless efforts to advance the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her fight for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
At the EPP Congress in Valencia this spring, a resolution drafted by KIC on behalf of the Christian Democrats was adopted, addressing Nicolás Maduro’s illegitimate seizure of power and the repression of the Venezuelan population.
The resolution condemns the manipulated presidential election held in Venezuela on 28 July 2024 and states that Nicolás Maduro’s illegitimate assumption of office on 10 January 2025 constitutes an act of oppression against the people. Instead, it recognizes the true election results from 28 July 2024 and calls for the people’s rightful president – Edmundo González Urrutia – to be appointed and recognized internationally.
“It was very encouraging that the EPP adopted the resolution. Venezuela’s rightful president, Edmundo González, was present and expressed his gratitude that KIC and the Christian Democrats had secured EPP support for the resolution,” says KIC’s Secretary General, Michaela Hollis.
The resolution outlines how Nicolás Maduro’s regime uses the judicial system to persecute the opposition. Both national and international actors have highlighted electoral fraud and human rights violations, some of which qualify as crimes against humanity. The resolution also draws attention to the regime’s links to organized crime and to authoritarian allies such as Russia, China, and Iran. It further criticizes the silence of the international community, which risks legitimizing dictatorships in Latin America.
KIC’s Secretary General, Michaela Hollis, represented the Christian Democrats at the congress, which served as an important opportunity to meet like-minded international partners and raise key issues.
“For me, it is important to meet the sister parties and cooperation partners who are present. It is an opportunity to build new connections and to update KIC on the political developments in the countries where we work.”