The road is made by walking… | By: María Eloina Conde

The election is over and there are still many questions to be answered beyond the result. We knew that the path is complex, difficult and dangerous because it is at stake the continuity of a quarter-century-old project whose main leaders have said on countless occasions that they are not willing to interrupt it. Despite that, Venezuelans went out, we voted and although uncertainty has been the norm since the night of July 28, we know that we have a golden opportunity for all of us.

It is difficult to set a date for the resolution of the questions left by the election, and in the chaos we must return to the reason, to the objectives, to the strategy. During the confusion, it is essential to remember the paths we have taken and how we have arrived where we are, and that applies to each one of us, to our families and also to our country.

It is time to remember that talking about crises is talking about history in Venezuela: from the War of Independence to the Federal War, from the implacable peace of Gómez to the brief democratic experiment with Rómulo Gallegos, from the Great Venezuela of the first term of Carlos Andrés Pérez to the Caracazo in his second presidency, from the frustrations of the first decade of the 21st century to the formidable victory in the legislative elections of 2015. We are talking about two centuries of crises of different magnitude that are essential to understanding our country.

And we must also remember that to speak of chaos is to speak of overcoming, of resilience and learning, not in a tone of resignation but with the maturity that this struggle requires. This time there are certainties that we have not had for a long time, certainties that must be put into perspective to navigate these uncertain days that began with the presentation of the first CNE bulletin and have continued with the proclamation, the protests, the arrests, the threats, the demand that the electoral body present the minutes and the unbreakable will of the Venezuelan people to forge their future.

Over the last year, the changes experienced by the opposition and the population in general have been overwhelming. We went from being completely dispersed and without attention to politics, from not believing, not trusting and not expecting anything from any politician, from the impossibility of unifying criteria, from having no guide, from having no strategy, to a scenario that few could have foreseen. The opposition, against all odds and past history, despite the settling of scores and deep resentments between the organizations that coexist within it and its leaders, understood something fundamental and that is that there is strength in unity. This is how it was possible to overcome obstacles of all kinds, including internal ones, it was possible to put in the mouths and minds of the people that the path was electoral, that every vote counted and that negotiation is necessary, and that without the combination of these factors it is impossible to head towards the change that we have so long awaited. We managed to find a candidate who, from his first speech, raised the level of politics and got an entire country to unite and believe, to unite and mobilize, to unite and participate. It was a year in which, in the hands of a woman and her team of thousands throughout the country, we managed to give the people certainty, confidence, and hope. She managed to ensure that today we continue to see light despite the darkness.

It is impossible not to feel doubt, frustration, even fear in the face of the uncertainty that surrounds us, but we cannot deny that it is not a new sensation for us. This uncertainty has been our companion for many years, and there are too many pieces of the puzzle that we do not control, that we do not know and that we do not direct, and the panorama becomes much more complicated when we are constantly bombarded with information. Venezuelans live each news item or rumor with the skin of their teeth because they know that the destiny of the nation and the future of the country are at stake. We do not know when an outcome could occur, but we are sure that these questions that have been left open must be answered, while events continue to develop within and outside our borders.

It is not time to turn the page because this story is still being written, it is not time to lament but to remember the true meaning of fighting for democracy in Venezuela. In all the turbulence of its history, Venezuela has moved forward thanks to the courage of Venezuelans and that is why, precisely at this time, we make Nelson Mandela’s phrase our own: “The brave is not the one who does not feel fear, but the one who conquers that fear.”

This path, for all of us who want a better Venezuela, continues.

Maria Eloina Conde

@MariaEloinaPorTrujillo

August, 4, 2024