Protests intensify over disputed elections in Venezuela, demanding recount, calling on neighboring countries to “withdraw diplomats”,
Protesters reacting to Nicolas Maduro’s presidential election victory in Venezuela by toppling a statue of former President Hugo Chavez in Falconju and cheering. The video surfaced on X on the 29th (local time). X Capture,
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, ‘The Venezuelan presidential election ended in a strong backlash as it concluded with Nicolas Maduro being declared the winner in contrast to the exit poll results. Citizens who opposed the results took to the streets, banging pots in protest and toppling the statue of former President Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s political mentor. The Venezuelan government notified neighboring Latin American countries demanding a recount of their intention to expel diplomats citing interference in internal affairs.’,
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, ‘AFP reported on the 29th (local time), “Despite the large deployment of police in the rainy streets of downtown Caracas, citizens protested against the government with ‘cacerolazo’ since the morning,” and “the protest intensified around noon when the crowd shouted ‘freedom’ and set fire to campaign banners of Maduro.” Cacerolazo is a protest method unique to Latin America that involves making noise by hitting kitchen utensils with sticks.’,
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, ‘Police attempted to disperse the protests by firing tear gas, and some citizens confronted them by throwing Molotov cocktails. Sputnik News reported, “Several gunshots were heard in Caracas.” As the protests escalated, the presidential palace in downtown Caracas was sealed off, and security around the National Assembly and the Electoral Council headquarters was reinforced.’,
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, ‘There were also casualties. The local human rights group Foro Penal stated, “One person died in the western state of Yaracuy. In Carabobo state, at least 5 people were injured by gunfire.” The Venezuelan Ministry of Defense claimed that more than 20 soldiers were injured in the crackdown on the protests.’,
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, ‘A video surfaced on X showing protesters in Falconju, near Yaracuy state, toppling the statue of former President Chavez during a cacerolazo march and cheering. Chavez, a military leader who established a pro-left anti-American socialist regime in Venezuela in 1999, handed over power to Maduro just before his death in March 2013.’,
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, ‘In a TV speech, Maduro expressed a hardline stance by stating, “Paid agitators are attacking the National Electoral Council office and others. We know how to repel mobs.”.’,
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, ‘Contrary to Western media and polling agencies predicting a victory for the center-right opposition candidate Edmundo Goncalves Urrutia, Maduro succeeded in his third term in the election held on the 28th. However, the Venezuelan Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner without disclosing the vote tabulation, prompting the opposition and the international community to raise concerns about electoral fraud.’,
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, ‘Concrete cases of irregularities in voting and vote counting at various polling stations have been reported. BBC Spanish reported, “There are complaints of delaying voter identification to discourage voting or restricting the number of people entering polling stations,” and “there are allegations that over 150 people were allowed entry just before international observers visited polling stations.”.’,
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, ‘It was also alleged that Maduro’s photos were displayed inside some polling stations, and vote counts were reported to the Electoral Council not through the voting machines but manually or orally.’,
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, ‘The international community, including neighboring Latin American countries, has called for a recount in Venezuela. In response, the Maduro government notified seven Latin American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, accusing them of being “nations obedient to the U.S.” and notifying them of the withdrawal of their diplomats.’,
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, ‘A senior U.S. official stated, “The U.S. will decide on sanction policies based on whether the Maduro government fully discloses the election results.”‘\n