Stories of heartbreak emerge as thousands rally against Venezuelan election results

ORLANDO, Fla. — Sixteen-year-old Albany Pujol stood in the middle of the semicircle, hands shaking as she held her phone to read a speech about freedom and liberty.

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She quoted a fellow teenager who was killed by the Venezuelan government, spoke of stolen dreams in a land she longed to return to, and mentioned hope dashed by an election that is widely believed to have been overthrown by the ruling party of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Prompted by a question, Pujol looked up. Tears began to form in her eyes.

The politics became personal.

“I have cried a lot of nights in my room, the desperation of not being able to do anything,” she admitted. “I miss my family.”

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For many Venezuelans, even ones who yearn to return like Pujol, going back is simply not an option. Millions of Venezuelans have fled to the United States and other nations seeking jobs, freedoms and stability their country no longer offers.

That’s what brought thousands to Orlando’s festival park Saturday, waving flags, chanting and singing anthems to call on the government to step aside – and to call on the world to pressure Maduro to give in.

Pujol knows the realities in front of her, but thoughts of her 80-year-old grandmother still pull at her.

“I don’t know if we’re going to see her before she dies, and this scares me a lot,” she sobbed.

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Pujol was not alone in the crowd. Even among adults who made the choice to come north and leave everything – and become United States citizens – opportunities and milestones missed stood out in their minds as they chanted.

“I would like to go back and put flowers on the on my father’s tomb, because he died while I was in the middle of [the citizenship] process, and I wasn’t able to leave the country,” Irving Vierma said. “My closest relatives and friends are passing because time is coming to an end, and I haven’t been able to say goodbye to them.”

Vierma said the fight was just at its beginning. The Saturday gathering was sparked by the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, calling for worldwide protests.

Following her lead, some participants displayed printouts of election tally machine results.

“I’m impressed, because I thought there was going to be less people,” Vierma said, hope filling his voice. “This is so crowded and so organized and exciting. It is great.”

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