Venezuela Opposition Urges Global Protest Over Poll Result
Venezuela’s opposition coalition has called for global protests on 17 August to support its claim of winning the country’s presidential election.
The government-controlled electoral commission declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner, granting him a third consecutive term.
The opposition argues that its candidate, Edmundo González, was the true victor and demands the release of detailed polling data from the commission.
This demand has received support from the European Union and the United States, while several other Latin American nations have yet to recognize Mr. Maduro as the winner of last month’s election.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado urged Venezuelans in a social media video to “take to the streets” globally on Saturday, 17 August, in support of her party’s claim of victory.
“Let’s shout together for the world to support our victory and recognize truth and popular sovereignty,” she said on Sunday.
After the 28 July election, the opposition published an online data set they claim shows Mr. González winning by a large margin.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated there was “overwhelming evidence” that Edmundo González secured the most votes.
The Maduro government, however, maintains that the National Electoral Council (CNE), which is filled with Maduro’s allies, provided the only valid result.
Mr. Maduro has indicated he will release the vote counts but has not given a timeline.
He accused the opposition of fabricating evidence to challenge the election results, claiming the US was orchestrating a farce and attempting a coup.
Mr. González, who replaced Ms. Machado as the opposition candidate after she was banned from running, also called for national and global protests in support of “the truth.”
Both have been in hiding – Ms. Machado wrote in the Wall Street Journal that she is fearing for her “life” and “freedom”.
The government has said Ms Machado should be arrested.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Venezuela and other Latin American countries since the official poll result was contested.
The government says more than 2,000 people have been detained, some of which it accuses of “terrorism”.
Some opposition figures have also been seized in the last few weeks.
María Oropeza, a campaign co-ordinator for opposition coalition Vente Venezuela, live-streamed her detention on Instagram.
In a video, loud bangs could be heard in the background as she told her followers that she had done nothing wrong. Officials from Venezuela’s military counter-intelligence agency then burst through her door and the video cuts to black.
Members of the security forces have seized Freddy Superlano and Roland Carreño – both of whom worked for the opposition party Popular Will – and Ricardo Estévez, a technical adviser for the same opposition movement as Ms Oropeza.
Last week, Mr González refused to appear at the country’s Supreme Court after it summoned all presidential candidates for an audit of the disputed vote.
He later said he would have risked his freedom and “the will of the Venezuelan people” by attending.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which is stacked with allies of President Maduro, said on Saturday that it was continuing to assess the election and that its ruling would be “final and binding”.
