Opposition supporters in Venezuela have taken to the streets in protest against Nicolas Maduro’s disputed victory in last month’s presidential election. Thousands of protesters, including opposition leader María Corina Machado, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to voice their opposition to Maduro’s re-election.
Despite being in hiding after being accused of insurrection, Machado joined the protesters and urged them not to be afraid. She emphasized that the voice of the people must be heard and that the people had spoken through their votes.
Both police and the army were deployed as supporters of Maduro also held a demonstration in a show of force. Machado vowed to continue the protests, with many demonstrators waving copies of election records from their voting stations as proof of victory.
“We won’t leave the streets,” Machado declared, calling for nationwide protests to increase pressure on Maduro to concede. Some protesters expressed their determination to continue the fight for change, with one demonstrator stating, “I smell freedom, I have nothing to fear.”
The opposition claims that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won by a wide margin, but Maduro insists he won a third six-year term. Independent observers have criticized the lack of transparency in the electoral process.
Since the election, anti-government protests have escalated, leading to hundreds of arrests by security forces loyal to Maduro. The UN has condemned the “fierce repression” of protests and criticism on social media by the state.
Support for the opposition’s cause has spread globally, with demonstrations held in cities around the world. The European Union, the United States, and several Latin American nations have refused to recognize Maduro’s victory, calling for a peaceful resolution to the political crisis in Venezuela.
