The disputed official results of the presidential elections in Venezuela, which gave the victory to President Nicolás Maduro, sparked protests in Caracas and several regions of the country on Monday, some of which were repressed by the military, while the majority opposition ratified “the victory” of its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.
In the country, kept awake by the late announcement of the first bulletin, the demonstrations began after midday, especially after the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro president, in power since 2013, who obtained, according to the electoral body, 51.2% of the votes, compared to 44.2% attributed to González Urrutia.
EFE confirmed that hundreds of motorcyclists were passing through one of the main avenues of Caracas, the vast majority coming from Petare, the largest favela in the nation, some of whom were dragging posters of Maduro’s campaign with the face of the Chavista leader, while there were multiple protests in other areas of the capital, as well as in twenty states, according to NGOs.
Anti-Chavez leader María Corina Machado, González Urrutia’s main supporter, said that these were “spontaneous and legitimate expressions” of a people who refused to have “their future stolen” by “an illegitimate regime.”
A theft”
In Caracas, citizens chanted slogans such as “You can see it, you can feel it, Edmundo, President,” “We don’t want you, Maduro,” and “I don’t want bonuses, I don’t want CLAP (subsidized food distribution program), what I want is for Nicolás to leave,” among others.
Several people told EFE that the authorities had “stolen the elections” from them, which is why they decided to leave their homes to express their discontent.
“We are demanding our rights. The elections were won by Edmundo González, together with María Corina Machado, and it turns out that the elections have been stolen from us once again in the country. We are tired of this. We have children, we have grandchildren, children who are studying, those children will never get ahead with this Government,” said an elderly man.
EFE confirmed that members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB, militarized police) and the Bolivarian National Police used tear gas and fired pellets against protesters who were peacefully demonstrating in an area of Caracas until the arrival of the officers, and arrested about twenty of them.
During the day, at least four statues of the late President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) were torn down.
Maduro, for his part, denounced “criminal” and “terrorist” acts for which he held the majority opposition, grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), responsible, and assured that dozens of people involved in these actions have been arrested, which included – he said – attacks on members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB).
According to the government, at least 23 soldiers were injured.
The “proofs of victory”
González Urrutia promised Venezuelans that “the will expressed yesterday (Sunday) through their vote” will be “respected,” because “that is the only path to peace.”
“We have in our hands the documents that prove our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory,” said the former ambassador, who thanked the international community for its solidarity and support.
In this regard, Machado assured that the majority opposition managed to obtain 73% of the votes cast in the presidential elections, which gave – he asserted – the victory to González Urrutia, with an “overwhelming” difference, contrary to what was announced by the CNE.
The former deputy indicated that, according to the percentage of votes available, Maduro obtained 2,759,256 votes, while González Urrutia obtained 6,275,182, and “there are still more to come.”
International support and questioning
While Maduro received congratulations from countries such as Russia, China, Iran, Serbia, Nicaragua and Cuba, the governments of Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic expressed their deep concern about the conduct of the presidential elections and demanded a complete review of the results.
In response, the Maduro government demanded that Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay “immediately withdraw their representatives from Venezuelan territory.”
The agency also announced the temporary suspension of commercial flights to Panama and the Dominican Republic, starting Wednesday.
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2024-08-02 11:11:35
