Former President of the Republic Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (1998-2002) called on Latin Americans to see their reflection in Venezuela’s mirror and learn the lesson of what can happen in countries when they fall into the hands of populist governments.
He said this during a rally of Venezuelans based in Costa Rica on Saturday, in the National Park, where they met to commemorate those killed during the protests against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
I think we all have to learn the lesson in America: never again fall into stories, lies, ideas that a man will come to solve everything. That is false. What we need is to defend our institutions, defend democracy and freedom,”
said Rodríguez at the foot of the National Monument and next to the ambassador of Venezuela in Costa Rica, Maria Farias, appointed by the interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó.
Rodríguez was declared non gratae by Nicolás Maduro along with former presidents Laura Chinchilla (2010-2014), Andrés Pastrana from Colombia, and Jorge Quiroga, from Bolivia, in July 2017, for having accompanied the Venezuelan opposition in a symbolic popular consultation that to call for new presidential elections, and stop the proposal of the Constitutional Assembly of the regime.
The former president added that the suffering in Venezuela should serve for the rest of the countries of the continent to put an end to populism and dictatorships.
This is a true continent. This is a continent of freedom. America is a land of freedom and democracy, America is a land of human rights, never again the dictatorship in America. That is the task of all Americans, to defend democracy, freedom and justice,”
concluded Rodríguez.
Costa Rica was one of the first countries in the region to recognize Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela.