Caracas: Thousands of protesters took to the streets in different parts of Venezuela to demonstrate against President Nicolas Maduro's unexpected victory in an election that observers say was undemocratic and fraudulent, and demanded he acknowledge that he lost Sunday's vote to the opposition. At least 11 people have been killed in different parts of the country since the election in incidents related to the count or associated protests, according to the rights group Foro Penal.
Venezuela's national electoral authority had named President Nicolas Maduro as the victor of Sunday's election with 51 per cent of votes, sparking allegations of fraud, with opposition politicians and independent pollsters deriding the reported win as implausible as multiple exit polls which pointed to an opposition win. The electoral body, however, did not release the tallies from any machine, promising early Monday only to do so in the “coming hours,” hampering the ability to verify the results.
Scores of supporters of the Venezuelan opposition gathered on the streets of Caracas, with many chanting 'freedom'. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from the election but backed candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, urged protesters to proceed in a peaceful manner and not fall into the "provocations" of the government.
Over 700 arrested, 48 officials injured
Venezuela's opposition said they have 80 per cent of the vote tallies that show candidate Edmundo Gonzalez would have won the presidential election on Sunday. Opposition protesters were also marching in the cities of Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal, Maracaibo and Barquisimeto.
The government has denounced the protests as a "coup". Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab announced on Tuesday that a preliminary count of 749 people detained amid recent protests and said that number could rise as the day progresses. He also reported that 48 officials, including military and police personnel, have been injured, some by gunfire.
The US-based Carter Center, which observed the vote, said in a statement late on Tuesday the election "did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic." The electoral authority's failure to publish disaggregated results amounts to a "serious breach," it added.
Several countries call on Venezuela to release tally
On Tuesday, both Maduro and his top legislative ally accused Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado of fomenting violence in the aftermath of the vote. In a winding speech broadcast on state television, Maduro declared that opposition protesters had battered civilians and started fires, demanding that Gonzalez answer for them.
"Respond to that you coward!" Maduro shouted, after saying both Gonzalez and Machado should be held accountable. Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the Congress for Maduro's ruling socialists, said both candidates should be arrested for the 'crimes' of the protesters. Costa Rica said it was prepared to give political asylum to Machado and Gonzalez.
Maduro's defence minister, General Vladimir Padrino, declared that there was a "coup in progress" but insisted that the country's armed forces would help defeat it. However, many countries have called on the government to make the vote tally public and US sources said Washington was considering fresh sanctions on individuals linked to the election unless there was greater transparency.
Maduro's record
Protests began after the election board declared on Monday that Maduro had won a third term with 51 per cent of votes to extend his "Chavista" movement's quarter-century rule. Some blocked roads, lit fires and threw petrol bombs at police as protests proliferated, including near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.
"What we are fighting here is a fraud by the regime," Machado said, while urging peaceful protest. "Edmundo is the president. We know he won the election." In Coro, capital of Falcon state, on the Caribbean coast, protesters cheered when they tore down a statue of Chavez, Maduro's mentor who ruled from 1999-2013.
The 61-year-old Maduro is a former union leader and foreign minister who won an election after former President Hugo Chavez's death in 2013. He has presided over an economic collapse and a mass exodus of Venezuelans, while US and EU sanctions have crippled an already struggling oil industry.
(with inputs from agencies)
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