Local officials report that around 750 people have been arrested in Venezuela, while two major NGOs state that several people have died and dozens have been injured. On Tuesday, Venezuela’s defense minister described the protests as “a coup,” asserting that President Nicolás Maduro had the “absolute loyalty and unconditional support” of the military, as read by Gen Vladimir Padrino surrounded by armed troops.
The attorney general, a close ally of Maduro, announced that a soldier had been killed during the anti-government protests. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged for peaceful demonstrations, cautioning against falling into government provocations meant to pit Venezuelans against each other.
She claimed their candidate won 70% of the votes and that many former Maduro supporters have now joined the opposition.
An anonymous anti-government protester told the BBC they had evidence of electoral fraud, alleging that the government stopped tallying votes halfway through the night to conceal their loss. The protesters noted that even former supporters of the late leader Hugo Chavez, known as Chavistas, are now withdrawing their support for Maduro.
The protesters described the current demonstrations as peaceful, particularly in an upper-class area of Caracas, contrasting with previous violence. They expressed a belief that people are hoping for change, although they fear it may come violently.
Venezuelans hold massive anti-Maduro protest in front of UN HQ in #Caracas, Venezuela
pic.twitter.com/VgzGlN0NTU— 南洋辉叔 Uncle Hui (@alexcmhwee) July 30, 2024
Protests erupted after the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), a member of President Nicolás Maduro’s party and his former legal adviser, declared Maduro re-elected for a third term.
The CNE had announced that Maduro won with 51% of the votes, defeating Edmundo González, who received 44%. However, the electoral authority has yet to release detailed voting tallies, which the opposition claims would reveal the results as fraudulent.
The Organization of American States (OAS) accused the Venezuelan government of distorting the election results. The opposition coalition supporting González stated they reviewed 73.2% of the tallies, which indicated a clear and decisive victory for González. González asserted, “We have the records showing our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.”
Despite this, the CNE reaffirmed on Monday that all votes had been counted and declared Maduro the winner. Attorney General Tarek Saab, a close ally of Maduro, warned that those arrested during the protests would be charged with “resisting authority and, in the most serious cases, terrorism.”
The opposition party Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) reported that their national political coordinator, Freddy Superlano, was among those detained. The party accused the government of increasing repression against activists demanding the release of polling station results.
