The Geopolitics of 'Free and Fair' Elections
THE ACTORS: Who defines 'legitimacy'? María Corina Machado is presented as a leading opposition figure in Venezuela. Her political party, Vente Venezuela, aligns with a hardline stance against the current Venezuelan government. The U.S. State Department and various allied international bodies, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), consistently amplify her calls for elections and
condemn her disqualification from holding office. THE FUNDING: A consistent flow of 'democracy promotion' Since the early 2000s, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) have channeled hundreds of millions of dollars into Venezuelan opposition groups and civil society organizations. For instance, between 2000 and 2010, the U.S. government
spent over $100 million on 'democracy promotion' in Venezuela (USAID, 2011). These funds often support organizations that lobby internationally for sanctions and for the delegitimization of electoral processes not favorable to the U.S.-backed opposition. The specific funding for Machado's network is often opaque, routed through intermediaries, but it exists within this broader ecosystem. THE
INCENTIVES: Resource control and ideological alignment The U.S. policy towards Venezuela, especially since the rise of Hugo Chávez in 1999, has been driven by a desire to control vast oil reserves and to counter what it perceives as a socialist, anti-U.S. geopolitical challenge in Latin America. A 'democratically elected' government aligned with U.S. interests would facilitate access to these