Massive protests broke out across Venezuela on Monday and Tuesday in reaction to incumbent socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro's questionable claim of victory in Sunday's Venezuelan presidential election, according to multiple reports.
Maduro declared himself the winner of the presidential election despite concerns that the vote was rigged in his favor. With the opposition refusing to concede defeat and the international community denouncing the election as fraudulent, protesters have taken to the streets of Venezuela to denounce the president as his government represses resistance, according to multiple reports. (Related article: 'Malicious acts' wreak havoc at Olympics)
“I fight for democracy in my country. They stole the election,” said one masked protester. Said Reuters.
Opponents of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro clash with riot police during a protest in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas on July 29, 2024, the day after Venezuela's presidential election. (Photo: Yuri Cortés/AFP via Getty Images)
“We are fed up with this government. We want change. We want to be free in Venezuela. We want our families back here,” another protester told Reuters.
Protesters rallied in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, approaching government buildings in the country's largest demonstrations in decades. according to In Caracas and other cities, some protesters tore down posters of President Maduro, while others set fires in the streets and hurled Molotov cocktails at police, who fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to the New York Times and Reuters.
Armored police vehicles move towards demonstrators during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, the day after the country's presidential election, July 29, 2024. (Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)
According to The New York Times, a group of protesters tried to make their way to the presidential palace but were blocked by police, while another group in Cumana, hundreds of miles from Caracas, tried to make their way to Venezuela's election headquarters but were blocked by the National Guard.
Flights from Panama and the Dominican Republic to Venezuela will be suspended starting Wednesday due to the surge in protests. according to According to CNN, the Maduro government has denounced the protesters as insurrectionists.
TOP SHOT – Protesters burn advertising banners during a protest against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, the day after the country's presidential elections on July 29, 2024. (Photo by Yuri Cortes/AFP via Getty Images)
“We have seen films like this before,” Maduro said at the presidential palace, vowing that security forces would keep the peace. “We have monitored all acts of violence incited by the far right.”
According to The New York Times, Maduro's government has already excommunicated several diplomatic missions from Latin American countries that have accused the election of fraud, and the government has also announced it will investigate opposition politicians for alleged election fraud.
TOP SHOT – Police officers remove debris during protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas on July 29, 2024, the day after Venezuela's presidential election. (Photo by Yuri Cortés/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States and some Western countries have said Maduro's victory claims are baseless and an attempt to stay in power while undermining democracy, similar to the reaction to his questionable re-election in 2018.
While the government and electoral commission have declared Maduro the winner, they have refused to release a detailed tally of the vote, further fuelling concerns that the election may have been stolen, The New York Times reported.
“Even (Maduro) doesn't believe in the fraud of the elections he is celebrating,” Argentine President Javier Milley said on Tuesday about Venezuela's elections, according to Reuters.
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