Government and Hardline Opposition Urge Street Demonstrations Following Tense Election Period in Venezuela
July 30, 2024 - Unrest Galore in Venezuela's Aftermath
Post-election mayhem reigns in Venezuela as anti-government disturbances refuse to abate, colliding with armed security forces. The flashpoint? Controversial presidential elections on July 28, with incumbent Nicolás Maduro clinching another term, while the opposition denies the results.
Since Sunday evening, barricades erected from flaming tire remnants have clogged major roads and highways in multiple cities. Disruptions to transit between Caracas and La Guaira International Airport prolonged journeys on Monday mornings.
In broad daylight, a band of protesters pummeled towards Miraflores Presidential Palace down Urdaneta Avenue, only to be met by a formidable police blockade. Vivacious social media videos documented armed civilians allegedly discharging live ammunition to scatter the demonstrators.
Additional footage broadcast on social media showed protesters brandishing weapons, assaulting innocent bystanders, and even targeting security officers.
As the hours trickled by, another scuffle between masked activists and the National Guard cropped up in El Silencio, close to another entryway to the presidential palace. A substantial opposition rally intended to traverse from Eastern Caracas also halted, finding a brick wall in the form of police barriers and ultimately disintegrating.
Reports swept social media about mobilizations in various Venezuelan cities. A crowd in the Lara state town of Jiménez reduced the local city hall to ashes on Monday evenings. Unverified rumors swirled about three deaths and over forty injuries. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino reported 23 injured servicemen, urging citizens to maintain their composure.
In a televised address, self-proclaimed victor Nicolás Maduro voiced disdain for the violence. "Stashes of scoundrels have been apprehended," he stated bluntly. "A staggering 80 percent of those arrested had criminal rap sheets, many of them had recently bilked their way back into the nation." The Venezuelan president harped on that the unrest wasn't spontaneous, pointing the finger at María Corina Machado and her far-right Vente Venezuela organization.
Maduro pledged that the Attorney General's Office would scrutinize the masterminds and financiers behind the turbulent public unrest. He volleyed accusations about the damage to national property throughout the nation, claiming the demolition of two statues of former President Hugo Chávez.
The Venezuelan president broached the specter of a far-right coup attempt, alleging they're attempting to recreate the combustible "guarimba" protests that tormented Venezuela in 2014 and 2017, resulting in multiple casualties. Maduro and other high-ranking Chavista officials appealed to loyalists to flood the streets for a peace march on Tuesday afternoons, counteracting fascism.
The tense environment followed the presidential ballot on July 28, with Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) declaring Maduro the victor boasting 51.2 percent of the vote, while hardline opposition nominee Edmundo González gathered 44.2 percent.
CNE President Elvis Amoroso verified that results were indelible with 80 percent of polling stations tallied and 59 percent voter turnout recorded. Electoral authorities also informed of a cyberattack on the voting infrastructure, delaying the conclusive computation and publishing of results.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported that electronic sabotage originated from Northern Macedonia, tracing it to Lester Toledo, an opposition figure currently escaping charges abroad.
Meanwhile, the US-backed opposition refused to acknowledge the electoral results. On Sunday night, María Corina Machado declared González as Venezuela's president-elect.
Machado addressed a press conference on Monday, maintaining possession of 73 percent of the tallies from polling stations and proclaiming an overwhelming victory for the opposition candidate, edging out Maduro by nearly 30 points. Machado and González promised to launch an open-access online database detailing the results by state, municipality, and polling station, but technical difficulties impeded its operation by article's end. The opposition encouraged mobilizations on Tuesday mornings.
Venezuela's post-election scene unfolded against a backdrop of diplomatic strife with neighboring governments. During the afternoon on Monday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry announced the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The statement blamed "statements and actions interfering in internal Venezuelan affairs" and accused the governments of being "under Washington's thumb."
In response, Venezuela temporarily halted air travel connecting Caracas to Panama City and Santo Domingo, effective as of Wednesday.
- The3 mobilizations in various cities across Venezuela, including Caracas, are continuing to cause unrest, as shown in videos on social media.
- The ongoing violence has led to another round of mobilizations, with masked activists erecting barricades made of flaming tire remnants on major roads and highways.
- Post-election politics in Venezuela have escalated into war-and-conflicts, with allegations of live ammunition being discharged by armed civilians and protesters assaulting innocent bystanders and security officers.
- As the political crisis deepens, the Attorney General's Office in Venezuela, under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro, is investigating the masterminds and financiers behind the turbulent public unrest, with crime-and-justice issues becoming a central focus in 2024's general news.
