Rage of the people: "Greatest fraud in history"

Protests in Venezuela: "The biggest fraud in history"

Emil Forsberg

Published 00.32

President Nicolas Maduro is accused of election fraud after declaring victory in Venezuela.

Now the demonstrators are marching towards the presidential palace.

According to the New York Times, the chaos could affect the US election.

The outside world is demanding transparency from Venezuela's electoral system after the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the presidential election.

The opposition claims that the challenger Edmundo González received an "overwhelming majority" and the newspaper La Patilla describes the election result as "the biggest fraud in the history of South America".

In the streets, discontent has begun to simmer.

Videos on social media show protesters in Caracas setting cars on fire, throwing stones and clashing with security forces.

A statue of ex-president Hugo Chavez, described as a mentor to Manduro, has also been torn down.

The police respond by firing tear gas, according to AFP. At least 17 people have been arrested, according to  La Patilla.

 

Thousands demonstrated in Caracas after Maduro's election victory.

1 / 2Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP

Outside the Libertador air base in Aragua, hundreds of protesters stand lined up opposite the soldiers and chant "freedom, freedom".

Masses of people have also made their way to the presidential palace in Miraflores to protest, the BBC reports.

"Knock down the dictator" and "everyone to Miraflores", they chanted, according to the TV channel.

Millions can flee

The anger is directed at the current government, which mismanaged the economy for almost a decade and caused a humanitarian disaster. Maduro has also made a name for himself as a president who imprisons dissent.

Close to 300 political prisoners are locked up, according to the Criminal Forum.

  

 

President Nicolas Maduro is accused of election fraud after declaring victory in Venezuela.

1 / 2Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP

A survey by ORC shows that a third of Venezuela's 28 million inhabitants are considering fleeing the country if the current government remains in power.

Could influence the US election

Something that is expected to hit the United States hard and that may affect the presidential election, according to the New York Times.

In recent years, the Venezuelan exodus has caused enormous challenges for Joe Biden, who has had to deal with record levels of migrants.

Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris of being responsible for the border situation, comparing her to a "border czar."

- Under border czar Harris, illegal immigrants are pouring in by the millions, millions and millions, he has previously said.
 

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Maduro declared victor - protests in Caracas

TT-AP

Published 2024-07-29 06.24

 

 

 

Protests against Nicolás Maduro have broken out in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

1 / 2Photo: Fernando Vergara/AP/TT

Nicolás Maduro has been officially declared the winner of Venezuela's controversial election.

But the international criticism is extensive.

And on the streets of Caracas, protests broke out after the announcement.

The announcement from the government-loyal electoral commission about Maduro's victory came on Monday evening.

Immediately after the decision, spontaneous protests broke out mainly in the capital and the Petare district. Posters featuring Maduro were torn down by masked men as police and security forces gathered around protesters. Despite the police presence, slogans critical of the regime were chanted: "It will fall, the government will fall".

Opposition claims victory

The opposition has claimed that its candidate Edmundo González should have received an "overwhelming" majority in the election.

In connection with the announcement from Caracas, nine Latin American countries demanded an independent review of the election results.

Costa Rican authorities considered the election "a fraud." Peru temporarily recalled its ambassador and Chile's President Gabriel Boric wrote on X that the election results are "hard to believe." and Argentina's right-wing populist President Javier Milei hoped that the "dictator Maduro" would be ousted.

Panama announced that it is recalling its diplomats from Venezuela.

In the rest of the world, the United States, Great Britain, France and Spain were at the forefront of criticism of the election results.

- We are deeply concerned that the published result does not reflect the will or the votes of the people of Venezuela, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a trip to Japan.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the electoral authorities to report the results with full transparency, and broken down in detail for each polling station.

Deep division

But several countries in Latin America simultaneously showed their support for Maduro as president. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel expresses his support for Maduro. Nicaragua, Bolivia and Honduras also support the sitting president. Mexico announces that it will recognize the results presented by the electoral authority.

Maduro and his government also received support from both Russia and China. President Vladimir Putin quickly congratulated Maduro on the election victory, adding:

- Remember that you are always welcome in Russia.

China hailed friendship with Maduro.

- China and Venezuela are good friends. We are ready to strengthen our partnership that benefits the peoples of both countries, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.