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Two emotionally charged symbolic wins for democratic movements occurred hours apart on opposite sides of the globe Sunday, but both face structural impediments in translating momentum into lasting change, a prominent political scientist argued. Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado greeted crowds in Caracas after nearly 10 months in exile, while student protesters powered the ouster of Serbia’s strongman leader after 14 years in power. But Serbia’s movement attracted more followers “by not being specific about its intentions,” Francis Fukuyama argued, suggesting its victory might be unsustainable. Machado, meanwhile, will have to overcome Washington’s bargain with the interim government led by ex-Chavista Delcy Rodríguez, who on Monday called for Machado to show “regret, remorse, and a change of course.”
document fetched 2026-10-27 02:56 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/10/26/2026/democratic-wins-in-venezuela-serbia-face-structural-challenges