Caracas.– The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, paid tribute to the memory of Salvador Allende, on the 52nd anniversary of the military coup in Chile that overthrew the socialist president in 1973.
Through a post on his social media, Maduro described Allende as a “beacon of dignity” and a benchmark of resistance for Latin America and the Caribbean. He also recalled the bombing of the Palacio de La Moneda as “the image of horror that curtailed the freedom of a Homeland”, highlighting the Chilean leader’s decision to resist until the end. “With a rifle and a helmet, Allende made the decision to die for his people rather than betray his flags,” he expressed.
Allende, a doctor by profession, was the first socialist to become president of Chile through popular vote. His government promoted historic reforms, including the nationalization of copper, agrarian reform, and the creation of popular publishing houses. According to historian María de Jesús Daza, he sought to restructure society under socialist principles, but without sacrificing democracy or civil liberties.
However, these measures generated internal and external friction. Richard Nixon’s government considered his management a threat, and in the midst of the Cold War, the CIA carried out covert operations to destabilize him, funding the Chilean opposition.
On September 11, 1973, the Armed Forces led by Augusto Pinochet overthrew Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens, who died in La Moneda during the military siege. The coup marked the beginning of a 17-year dictatorship, characterized by systematic human rights violations, political persecution, and the imposition of neoliberal policies that, according to analysts, deepened inequality and poverty in Chile.
Maduro drew a parallel between the overthrow of Allende and what he considers attempts to stop the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. “Allende’s legacy lives on in the Bolivarian Revolution,” he asserted, emphasizing that the history of the former Chilean president strengthens the fight against imperialism.
Writer Alí Rojas Olaya added that the Venezuelan resistance is sustained by the powers of the people and the civic-military union, factors that, according to him, have prevented the efforts of the United States against the Bolivarian process from prospering.
