Venezuela: Opposition calls for more protests
"Machado continued, 'The world will see the strength and determination of a society that wants to live in freedom.' The opposition leader herself was excluded from the election due to alleged corruption and faces arrest, like González Urrutia. Both have not made public appearances since the election on July 28. 'I will never leave you,' González Urrutia wrote on the online service X.
Machado is currently in hiding out of fear for her life. 'I am writing these lines from a hiding place, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen,' she wrote in a guest article in the U.S. newspaper 'Wall Street Journal' on Thursday. She accused the Venezuelan security forces of killing 20 people in their actions against protests after the election.
On Monday, the largely pro-government electoral authority in Venezuela officially declared incumbent Nicolás Maduro the winner of the presidential election despite international criticism and allegations of fraud from the opposition. Maduro received 51.2 percent of the votes, while opposition candidate González Urrutia received 44.2 percent. Despite demands from the opposition and abroad, the electoral authority has not yet published detailed results.
Protests erupted after the announcement of the election results, to which the security forces responded with violence. Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported 749 arrests, with some of those arrested potentially facing 'terrorism' charges. According to the military, one soldier was killed and 23 others were injured.
Numerous countries doubt the officially announced election victory of Maduro. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that there is 'overwhelming evidence' of an opposition victory. 'It is completely clear that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in the presidential election on July 28,' Blinken said on Thursday. The officially announced result 'does not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.'
Among others, the U.S., Brazil, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Venezuelan authorities to publish detailed data on the counted votes. Peru already recognized González Urrutia as the legitimate Venezuelan president - leading the government in Caracas to break off diplomatic relations with Lima. Venezuela recalled diplomatic staff from a total of eight Latin American countries and asked the ambassadors of these countries to leave Venezuela.
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After the election on July 28, Machado and González Urrutia both stopped making public appearances due to the circumstances surrounding their exclusion and potential arrests. After the announcement of the election results, numerous protests erupted, leading to violent responses from the Venezuelan security forces.
