Protests escalated on Tuesday as opposition leaders continued to challenge the election results that saw President Nicolas Maduro win another term, Al Jazeera reported. The opposition’s Maria Corina Machado called for “popular assemblies” across Venezuela, urging families to join the protests.
Machado claimed on Monday that an analysis of voting records from Sunday’s election indicated that presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had achieved a “categorical and mathematically irreversible” victory over Maduro. She and another opposition leader appeared at a gathering in Caracas on Tuesday, where Machado called the election results a “fraud by the regime” and urged peaceful protest. A large crowd, many waving Venezuelan flags, chanted: “We are not afraid!”
Protesters also marched in cities like Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal, Maracaibo, and Barquisimeto throughout the day. The demonstrations followed Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) formal announcement that Maduro had been re-elected by a majority of Venezuelans for another six-year term from 2025 to 2031. This announcement sparked widespread anger, leading thousands to protest against Maduro and his government. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The Venezuelan Conflict Observatory recorded 187 protests in 20 states by Monday evening, noting “numerous acts of repression and violence” by paramilitary groups and security forces. Rights group Foro Penal reported that at least 11 people had been killed in incidents related to the election count or the protests.
Meanwhile, the opposition party Voluntad Popular announced on social media that its national coordinator, Freddy Superlano, had been detained. Maduro dismissed international criticism of the election results, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted “coup d’etat” of a “fascist and counter-revolutionary” nature. His government labeled the protesters as “violent agitators,” and Maduro directly blamed Gonzalez for the violence and unrest. “I hold [Gonzalez] responsible for everything that is happening in Venezuela, criminal violence…the wounded, the dead, the destruction,” Maduro said, warning that “justice will come,” as reported by Al Jazeera.