Out of the shadows: Venezuela’s opposition emerges from hiding but remains on political sidelines

Months after Nicolás Maduro’s removal, pro-democracy activists struggle to turn hope into influence

For nearly 600 days, Anthony Romero crept between more than a dozen safe houses to avoid being captured by Venezuela’s secret police.

After https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/10/gonzalez-proof-win-venezuela-election-vote-tally-maduro">helping challenge Nicolás Maduro’s spurious claim to have won the 2024 presidential election, the opposition activist went underground, as the South American dictator waged a ruthless crackdown in an attempt to cling to power.

“He unleashed the harshest repression Venezuela has ever seen – we’re talking about nearly 3,000 arrests,” recalled Romero, 35, a lawyer who is part of the Nobel laureate https://www.theguardian.com/world/maria-corina-machado">María Corina Machado’s political party, Vente Venezuela.