Venezuelans in Utah seek support from US lawmakers after disputed presidential vote

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Venezuelan community is seeking support from the state's contingent to Washington, D.C., in pressing against what members say was electoral fraud in last Sunday's presidential vote in the South American nation.

They're also asking the U.S. lawmakers serving Utah, all of them Republicans, to press the administration of President Joe Biden to recognize opposition leader Edmundo González as the winner of the contest. Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro won the vote, he maintains, but opposition critics say González won, and U.S. and many other world leaders haven't recognized Maduro as they push for release of more detailed voting data.

"Unfortunately, it's not a lot we can do, but we're still trying," said Mayra Molina, of the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah. She's originally from Venezuela but now lives in American Fork.

Late Thursday, the Biden administration recognized González as the victor in the presidential vote. Molina said the alliance is hosting a public gathering on the south steps of the Utah Capitol on Saturday at 10 a.m. to promote unity among the opposition backers.

The alliance, formed largely to promote Venezuelan culture, sent a letter Wednesday to Rep. Burgess Owens and also contacted or planned to contact U.S. Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney and Utah's three other U.S. House members seeking support. The letter to Owens, supplied to KSL.com, had the signatures of 231 Venezuelans and Venezuelan Americans.

Separately, Carlos Moreno, originally from Venezuela but now living in West Jordan, met with Owens on Wednesday along with two other Venezuelans now living in Utah, also in search of support in challenging Maduro, who has been in power in Venezuela since 2013. Venezuelan opposition leaders took part in vote counting after last Sunday's balloting at individual precincts, Moreno said, and have proof in the collective results gathered from around the country of González's victory.

"Now we have all the proof that the opposition won the election, and (Maduro's) trying another coup," said Moreno, a naturalized U.S. citizen who's seeking a seat on the Salt Lake County Council as a Republican in elections this cycle. Results posted online by Venezuelan opposition coalition leader María Corina Machado show González leading Maduro by a 67%-30% margin with nearly 82% of votes tallied.

Members of Comando ConVzla in Utah, part of a global coalition of foes of the government of President Nicolás Maduro government, in an undated photo. (Photo: Norely Lopez)

Moreno said he also spoke by phone with Rep. Celeste Maloy, though he's still awaiting a response from the Utah lawmakers. Venezuelans and Venezuelan Americans across the country are making similar pleas with U.S. lawmakers, Molina said.

A rep from Owens' office pointed to a tweet from the lawmaker about the meeting with Moreno.

"I discussed the horrific situation in Venezuela with some Utahns who have family there. Maduro's oppressive regime continues to trample human rights and thwart the will of the people. I stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people who simply seek freedom and liberty," Owens said in the message on X, the social media platform.

The Venezuelan community in Utah and the rest of the United States has closely watched the electoral process in Venezuela. Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country under the rule of Maduro, a socialist, due to what many say is his oppressive and corrupt leadership. Perhaps 20,000 live in Utah, community leaders estimate, and 2,000 to 3,000 gathered Sunday outside Herriman City Hall as a show of solidarity with the opposition movement in Venezuela.

Beyond the fraud in counting of ballots from Sunday's vote, Molina said some opposition leaders now face persecution, including jailing. "People are really scared because obviously the oppression is getting strong," she said.

Moreno said some opposition figures have been abducted, some killed. "It's not just about another election in another part of the world. People are missing in Venezuela," he said.

The letter to Utah's lawmakers by the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah asks them to "denounce the electoral fraud" in the Venezuelan vote, joining lawmakers like Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. María Elvira Salazar, Florida Republicans. It also asks the lawmakers to urge the Biden administration to increase pressure on Maduro and to recognize González as winner of the presidential vote.

"Your statement in favor of our democratic cause and the necessary support of the United States are fundamental to guarantee the restoration of Venezuelan democracy," reads the letter.