AUSTIN, Texas — Venezuelans crowded the Texas Capitol this weekend, waving the national flag and holding signs denouncing President Nicolás Maduro's victory for another term.
Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner of last Sunday's presidential election against opposition candidate Edmundo González. However, the government has not released the vote tallies to prove Maduro as the victor, which has prompted protests across Venezuela and the U.S.
Alfonso Nieves said he fled Venezuela in 2017 amid political unrest and opposition against Maduro and his supporters. The country has been left in turmoil under Maduro's leadership, according to Nieves.
"There's a lot of people who are suffering, who are starving and who are being killed," Nieves said in Spanish.
Nieves added that he has family members who have died, and he has not been able to go back and see his family members who remain in the country.
"I feel very sad, frustrated with impotence, with the urge to cry, with the urge to help the people in my country," Nieves said.
This isn't the first time an election involving Maduro has caused an uproar. After Maduro won his second term in 2018 amid claims of vote rigging, people also took to the streets.
Senymar Moya said elections this time around are different due to the voter turnout, but she feels her homeland was robbed of their vote.
An analysis of the vote tally sheets reported by the Associated Press showed that González earned significantly more votes than Maduro.
"I'm just hoping that this time they actually see what's happening, that they see that they really do have the support of not just us, but the whole country itself," Moya said.
The U.S. recognized González as the winner of the contested election, which was seen as the country's most pivotal in years.
While the cast of doubt remains to be uncleared, Elizabeth Gunz, who helped make Sunday's event happen, said she, along with fellow Venezuelans, can only do what they can and keep the hope alive for their country.
"We can't live there. It is not possible for us to have a safe life," Gunz said. "We want this dictatorship out, this regime out, these people that kills people out."
