Mass protests after Maduro's alleged election victory in Venezuela
The Venezuelan President dismisses criticism of the election in his country as a coup attempt. The opposition speaks of a clear victory of their candidate. Thousands take to the streets and are attacked by police with tear gas.
Thousands of Venezuelans in the capital Caracas protested against what they saw as a fraudulent election victory of President Nicolás Maduro. In Petare, near the largest slum of Caracas, people chanted slogans against Maduro as they marched. "It will fall. It will fall. This government will fall," some shouted.
Masked individuals tore down election posters from lamp posts. People on the roofs watched, banged on pots, and waved Venezuelan flags in support. Heavily armed security forces stood just a few blocks away from the peaceful protest. Images and videos on social media show police firing tear gas at protesters.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado claimed that her camp had 73.2% of the ballots from Sunday confirming their victory. "We can prove the victory," she said. Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia won in all states and received 6.27 million votes, while the incumbent Nicolás Maduro, declared the winner by the electoral board, received 2.7 million votes. "Our triumph is historic," said González.
Landslide victory for the opposition?
According to official figures, Maduro received 51.2% of the votes, which would extend his term until 2031. González Urrutia received 44.2%. Independent post-election polls suggested a landslide victory for the opposition. Maduro dismissed the concerns of the opposition and pollsters as a coup attempt.
Meanwhile, employees reported an attempt by security forces to enter the Argentine embassy in Caracas, where six opposition members are staying. "At this moment, security forces are trying to storm the residence of the Argentine embassy in Caracas, where the six asylum seekers of Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez's campaign are located," wrote one of the six opposition members, Pedro Urruchurtu, on the X messaging service. The employees had sought refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas in March to avoid arrest for alleged conspiracy.
The General Prosecutor's Office in Venezuela accused the opposition of a cyberattack on the election commission. The cyberattack was carried out from North Macedonia and targeted the transmission of results, said General Prosecutor Tarek William Saab. The attempt to manipulate the results failed. Behind the attack were opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and two other prominent Venezuelan government opponents abroad, Saab added. The General Prosecutor announced that the National Electoral Council will soon publish the results of the individual voting stations on its website.
The General Prosecutor's Office in Venezuela accused Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado of a cyberattack on the election commission. The Commission, however, remains staunch in defending the integrity of the election results.
Amidst the accusations and protests, The Commission has urged all parties to respect the democratic process and await the official publication of the results on their website.
