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Protests broke out again in Venezuela on Tuesday, after four people were killed and dozens injured as authorities dispersed demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's claim of victory in a disputed election over the weekend.
Security forces on Monday fired tear gas and rubber bullets at angry protesters who claimed the election was stolen and took to the streets chanting “Azadi, Azaadi!” and “This government is going to fall!”
Some people tore down and burned Maduro's campaign posters, while at least two statues of Hugo Chavez, an authoritarian socialist who led Venezuela for more than a decade and chose Maduro as his successor, were toppled by protesters.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Tuesday that 749 “criminals” had been arrested during the protests and charged with resisting authority or “terrorism in the most serious cases”.
The opposition is strongly objecting to the results of Sunday's election, which officials say saw Maduro win 51.2 percent of the vote, while Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia got 44.2 percent.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was replaced by Urrutia on the ballot after she was barred from contesting the election by Maduro-backed courts, said voting records showed Urrutia had a “mathematically irreversible” lead.
According to opposition counts, González Urrutia received 6.27 million votes, while Maduro received 2.75 million votes.
The Organization of American States (OUS) on Tuesday alleged there had been “extraordinary manipulation” of the election results that led to Maduro's victory.
According to the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors the crisis situation in the country's hospitals, 44 people were injured in Monday's protests, most of them with gunshot wounds.
The network said two of the dead were in Aragua state and one in Caracas. Meanwhile, the NGO Foro Penal reported another person dead in the northwestern state of Yaracuy.
“Unfortunately, in the last few hours we have received reports of people killed, dozens injured and detained,” Gonzalez Urrutia wrote on X.
He urged security forces to “stop repressing peaceful protests”.
• 'Absolute loyalty' –
The Defence Ministry reported that 23 military personnel were injured.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino assured that Maduro has the “full loyalty and unconditional support” of the armed forces.
Machado called on families to attend “popular assemblies” taking place across the country on Tuesday to show their support for a peaceful transfer of power.
Maduro's campaign manager Jorge Rodríguez also called on the X to “carry out massive marches starting this Tuesday to celebrate the victory”.
Amid growing fears of violence, Freddy Superlano, a prominent leader of the opposition coalition, was “kidnapped” by black-clad officers, his Voluntad Popular said on Christmas.
Elections in Venezuela were held amid a campaign marred by widespread suspicions of fraud and allegations of political intimidation by the government.
The United Nations, the United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries called for a “transparent” process after the vote, while allies including China, Russia and Cuba congratulated Maduro.
Nine Latin American countries demanded a “full review of the results in the presence of independent electoral observers” in a joint statement. Chile’s president said the results were “hard to believe.”
Amid the tensions, Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela. Meanwhile, Caracas said it was recalling diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
•Warning of 'bloodshed' –
Independent polls had predicted Maduro would lose Sunday's vote.
He has been at the helm of the oil-rich nation since 2013. US sanctions and economic mismanagement have seen GDP drop by 80 per cent over the past decade, forcing more than 7 million of Venezuela's 30 million citizens to flee.
Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in an atmosphere of growing authoritarianism.
Before the elections he had warned that if he lost there would be bloodshed.
Sunday's election was the result of an agreement between the government and the opposition last year.
The deal led to the United States temporarily easing sanctions imposed after Maduro’s 2018 re-election, which dozens of Latin American and other countries dismissed as a sham.
The sanctions were reimposed after Maduro reneged on the agreed terms.
Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but its production capacity has declined drastically in recent years.
AFP
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