Fresh Demonstrations Loom In Venezuela After 4 Dead In Anti-Maduro Protests

The elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government

Caracas, Venezuela:

New demonstrations were expected in Venezuela on Tuesday, after four people died and dozens were injured when the authorities broke up protests against President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory in a hotly disputed election.

Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at angry protesters challenging the official results, which were questioned by the opposition and neighboring countries.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of several neighborhoods in the capital Caracas, chanting “Freedom, freedom!” and “This government is going to fall!”

Some ripped down and burned Maduro campaign posters while at least two statues of Hugo Chavez — the late authoritarian socialist who led Venezuela for more than a decade and handpicked Maduro as his successor — were knocked down by protesters.

In addition to the deaths, 44 were reported injured, according to the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the country’s hospitals

Two of the dead were in the state of Aragua and one in Caracas, the network said. The NGO Foro Penal meanwhile reported one more dead in the northwestern state of Yaracuy.

Amid growing fears of violence, a leading figure in the opposition coalition, Freddy Superlano, was “kidnapped” by black-clad officials, his Voluntad Popular said on X.

Fears of fraud

The elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) certified the reelection of Maduro, 61, to another six-year term until 2031, with the president winning 51.2 percent of votes cast compared to 44.2 percent for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

But opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters that a review of available voting records clearly showed that the next president “will be Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,” who replaced her on the ballot after she was barred from running by Maduro-aligned courts.

The records showed a “mathematically irreversible” lead for Gonzalez Urrutia, she said, with 6.27 million votes to Maduro’s 2.75 million.

The Organization of American States, a regional body, charged Tuesday there was “exceptional manipulation” of the election results that handed Maduro his win.

Machado called for families to turn out Tuesday for “popular assemblies” nationwide to show support for a peaceful transition of power.

Maduro’s campaign manager Jorge Rodriguez, also called on X for “large marches starting this Tuesday to celebrate the victory.”

In Caracas on Monday, AFP observed members of the national guard firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, some wearing motorbike helmets and bandanas tied over their faces. Some responded by throwing rocks.

Protests were reported even in poor areas of Caracas that had been bastions of support for Maduro. Shots were heard in some areas.

The United Nations, United States, European Union and several Latin American countries called for a “transparent” process, while allies including China, Russia and Cuba congratulated Maduro.

Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement for a “complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers.” Chile’s president said the outcome was “hard to believe.”

Amid the tensions, Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela. Caracas meanwhile said it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

‘Bloodbath’ warning

Independent polls had predicted Maduro would lose Sunday’s vote.

He has been at the helm of the once-wealthy oil-rich country since 2013. Amid US sanctions and economic mismanagement, the past decade has seen GDP drop by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of Venezuela’s 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

In the run-up to the election, he warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost.

Sunday’s election was the product of a deal reached last year between the government and opposition.

That agreement led the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro’s 2018 reelection, rejected as a sham by dozens of Latin American and other countries.

Sanctions were snapped back after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Venezuela boasts the world’s largest oil reserves but production capacity has been severely diminished in recent years.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)