Joaquina, Lele Pons, Rawayana & More Artists React to Controversial Presidential Election in Venezuela

Hours after the Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner in Sunday’s (July 28) presidential elections, the opposition denounced irregularities in the counting process, leading a number of Venezuelan artists to react with sorrow to the political situation in their country.

“Impossible not to wake up on a morning like today’s without praying for the unity and peace of our Venezuela. We are riding on hope with tears in our eyes and faith in our chests,” brothers Mau y Ricky told Billboard.

“THEY STOLE THE VOTES!!! IT IS KNOWN TO BE FRAUD!!! What an injustice, poor Venezuela! A national sentiment,” singer and influencer Lele Pons wrote in Spanish on her Instagram account with a series of images and videos of her crying and of the news.

“fraud. brazenness. cynicism. mockery. DICTATORSHIP. There are no words to describe it and the world has to keep learning about it,” Latin Grammy winner Joaquina wrote on her Instagram stories, while on her X account she posted: “Don’t try to cover the sun with a finger.”

Sunday’s elections in Venezuela had generated expectations of change in many people, since after 25 years of the socialist government initiated by the late Hugo Chávez, President Nicolás Maduro faced “the biggest electoral challenge since he came to power 11 years ago,” as reported by The Associated Press. Edmundo González, who represented the united opposition candidacy, campaigned vigorously agains Maduro’s re-election.

Dozens of Venezuelan artists flooded their social media accounts with messages expressing their hope for a change of course in the country. But close to midnight, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes — despite the opposition’s claims of irregularities in the counting process. Shortly after, opposition leader María Corina Machado denied Maduro’s triumph and said in a press conference, “We won, and everybody knows it,” pointing out that in the 40% of the tally sheets in her possession, González had won with 70% of the votes.

González, meanwhile, told the AP: “Venezuelans and the whole world know what happened.”

The situation, however, is not surprising to some, as similar situations have been seen in past elections in the South American country. “Venezuela has been living a great fraud for many years… an ideological, moral and ethical fraud,” the lead singer of Venezuelan rock/reggae band Rawayana, Alberto ‘Beto’ Montenegro, tells Billboard. “Unfortunately we are not surprised by another electoral fraud, we have already seen it all.”

Venezuelan producer and composer Román Rojas, meanwhile, told Billboard Español that he experienced “the aftermath of the brutality of the Maduro regime through a friend, a talented violinist, who was tortured for his political stance.” He was referring to Wuilly Arteaga, who became known in 2017 by playing sad versions of the national anthem during demonstrations in Caracas, and who was thrown to the ground, had his violin broken and was imprisoned in a confrontation with policemen.

“For artists to flourish, they need to live in societies where freedom of expression is protected, not punished,” Rojas added. “When governments impose restrictions, art loses its authenticity and becomes a tool of ideology.”

For Henry D’Arthenay, leader of the group La Vida Bohème, “In Venezuela, we’ve grown used to this political circus; we are unfazed, and in my opinion, this has only made us stronger. The millions of Venezuelans kidnapped by a scam of a government that sold false hope and gave hunger in exchange, and the millions of Venezuelans outside the country who were pushed out and that were denied the chance to vote. We are the orphans who continue holding the nation together with the power of hope.”

Latin Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Mr. Pauer, meanwhile, pointed out that, although he has been living in the U.S. for over 30 years, he prays for change and dreams of going back. “It hurts me a lot to see how they repress the voice of my country, which asks for change so badly,” he tells Billboard. “It is time for a peaceful transition and for the world to find out what is happening to my people and to take actions that truly defend democracy.”

—Additional reporting by Isabela Raygoza and Jessica Roiz.