The elections in Venezuela

Several statues of socialist leaders are torn down in Venezuela

At least seven statues of socialist leaders have been torn down or vandalized in Venezuela since the weekend's election, writes The Guardian. This as part of the protests against President Nicolas Maduro's contested election victory.

In the coastal town of La Guaira, protesters tore down a statue of Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez, erected in 2017. Cheers erupted. After the statue fell, it was dragged around the square by motorbikes, doused in petrol and set on fire.

- This government will fall, shouted the demonstrators.

Other statues have been decapitated using sledgehammers.

Maduro has promised that those who demonstrate will be "substantially" punished. So far during the protests, eleven people have died, many have been injured and hundreds have been arrested.

........................................

Maduro blames the protests on drug gangs and Elon Musk

Venezuela's Congress leader Jorge Rodríguez calls for the arrest of opposition leader María Corina Machado and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González. The statement is another step in restricting freedoms in the country, notes Bloomberg.

On state-owned television, the Congress leader accuses the duo of leading a "fascist conspiracy" with the goal of starting civil war. After socialist President Nicolás Maduro declared himself victorious in the heavily criticized election, angry protesters have filled the streets.

Maduro himself looks outside to find explanations for the protests:

"Behind this plan is the US empire, drug networks, Elon Musk and the fascist extreme right in the world," he says.

Musk sided with the opposition in the election and has shared several posts on X before and after election day.