Tensions rise in Venezuela after election; fears of more arrests | Wilnesh News

Shops and public transport were closed across Venezuela on Wednesday as tensions over a bitterly disputed presidential election and rumors of more opposition arrests and sporadic violence kept many people at home.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was declared the winner of Sunday’s vote by the electoral commission. but The opposition says the vote count About 90% of the votes showed that its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received more than twice as much support as Maduro.

The dispute entered its third day as calls for more transparency grew, with the government insisting it was not providing full vote totals at polling station level due to a system hack in North Macedonia that extended polling hours, but did not provide any The evidence supports this.

The U.S.-based Carter Center, one of the few independent watchdogs authorized to observe the election, announced in a statement late Tuesday that the election “cannot be considered democraticIt said the process was biased in Maduro’s favor and was flawed from start to finish, calling the electoral authorities’ failure to publish the classification results a “serious irregularity.”

In a speech broadcast on state television on Wednesday, Maduro said he rejected all threats, including new possibilities US sanctions.

Maduro promised that his Socialist Party was ready to release all vote counts and said he had asked the Supreme Court to force the opposition to do the same.

Early Monday morning, Venezuela’s electoral authorities – whom the opposition accuses of playing into the pockets of Venezuela’s electoral authorities – announced that Maduro had won re-election, winning 51% of the vote, seven percentage points ahead of Gonzalez.

But soon after, Venezuela’s main opposition coalition launched a website with detailed ballot box-level tallies covering the vast majority of the country’s 30,000 voting machines, including scans of machine-printed tallies. .

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the website showed the opposition expected Gonzalez with 67% of the vote and Maduro with 30%, representing nearly 82% of polling station data.

Reuters was unable to verify the veracity of each individual tally. However, independent exit polls showed Gonzalez winning by a similar margin.

Meanwhile, international pressure has mounted on the government to release the full results, including from regional heavyweights the United States and Brazil.

Speaking at an Organization of American States meeting in Washington, Brian Nichols, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, said it was “obvious” why Venezuelan electoral authorities had failed to release a full vote count.

He believes either officials didn’t want to confirm Gonzalez’s lopsided victory or they needed more time to falsify the results.

“Everyone can clearly see that Edmundo Gonzalez defeated Nicolás Maduro by millions of votes,” Nichols said, pleading with Maduro and other foreign governments admit one’s failure.

The dispute resulted in deadly, widespread protest Maduro and his military allies condemned the coup attempt. Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday it had received reports of 20 deaths during post-election demonstrations.

Some Maduro allies, including Congress President Jorge Rodriguez, said Gonzalez and high-profile opposition leader María Collina Machado should be held accountable for their roles in anti-government protests He was arrested for his role, including in protests in the long-ruling party stronghold.

The arrest of Gonzalez or Machado would mark a major escalation, following the detention this week of two other opposition leaders, including Voluntary People’s Party chief Freddy Superano. His arrest was captured on video, which shows him being bundled into the back seat of an unmarked car and surrounded by armed security personnel.

Reuters witnesses in several cities witnessed clashes between security forces and opposition protesters, as well as attacks on protesters by motorcyclists allied to the ruling party.

“I am warning the world of the regime’s escalation of cruelty and repression,” Machado wrote on X on Wednesday.

The popular former lawmaker was banned from running for president by a government coalition court but still managed to win over González, a retired diplomat, at massive rallies ahead of the vote.

Two opposition sources, who requested anonymity, told Reuters the opposition was focused on pressuring the government to release all vote counts.

Although several waves of anti-government protests over the past decade have resulted in international condemnation and hundreds of deaths, they have failed to topple Maduro.

Many anxious residents retreated to their homes as many shops on the eerily quiet streets were closed. But new hotspots of violence emerged.

Luis Eduardo Roberto, 19, died late Tuesday in the city of Upata, the capital of Bolivarian state, following an opposition protest.

The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, according to the death certificate. Witnesses, including the teen’s father, Ricardo Roberto, said motorcycle vigilantes shot at him.

“I’m angry,” he said. “They killed my son.”

Bolivarian governor Angel Marcano, a Maduro ally, confirmed the incident but blamed it on rock-throwing protesters.

In the capital, Caracas, some shops remained open but lines were long and military presence increased around the presidential palace.

Bus drivers in Maracay, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Caracas, stayed away from work fearing more violence.