Mass riots break out in Venezuela over Maduro's fraudulent election victory
The opposition claims to have copies of 73% of the protocols from the polling stations, and they point to Gonzalez's victory
After Venezuela's Central Election Commission declared incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the election on Monday night, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Caracas and other cities of the country to protest. Clashes with the police and military broke out.
‘At first, they were beating pots and pans to protest against President Maduro declaring himself the winner. Then the tension began to rise,’ the BBC correspondent reports. ’Thousands of protesters marched – some for miles – into the centre and towards the presidential palace. Cars, tyres and rubbish are being burnt on the streets. Clashes have broken out between protesters and police.’
The police and military, who blocked the streets around the presidential palace, began firing plastic bullets and tear gas grenades at the protesters.
Demonstrators responded with stones and Molotov cocktails, tearing down and burning portraits of Maduro hanging on walls and pillars.
On the side of the police and military, a left-wing paramilitary organisation, whose members are called ‘collectivos’, is taking part in the clashes, defending Maduro's power.
The National Electoral Council, controlled by Maduro, announced that the incumbent president won 51.2% of the vote and the candidate from the united opposition, Edmundo Gonzalez, 44%.
Independent exit polls showed that about 65% voted for Gonzalez and 14% to 31% for Maduro.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters on Monday that the recount, which is being conducted by the opposition, shows a landslide victory for González. According to her, González received 6.27 million votes, while Maduro received only 2.75 million.
Machado clarified that the opposition has copies of 73% of the protocols from polling stations.
Maria was banned from running by the authorities, and 71-year-old former diplomat Gonzalez ran instead.
According to AFP, the opposition leaders did not call for street protests – they broke out spontaneously.
On Monday, Maduro attended a meeting of the National Electoral Council, which approved his re-election for the next seven years.
Maduro rejected accusations of election fraud and said that the protests against his re-election were a coup attempt by ‘fascist and counter-revolutionary forces’ with the instruction of foreign powers.
Interestingly, the protesters on social network X are actively supported by Elon Musk. Representatives of the opposition record videos thanking the American businessman for his support.
In 2018, before and after the previous presidential election, protests in Venezuela lasted for several months, but the government of Maduro and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela held on.
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