Protesters, Backed by Government and Opposition, Storm the Streets Amid Post-Election Unrest in Venezuela
The 2024 Venezuelan Presidential Chaos: A Contentious Victory for Maduro
Caracas, August 4, 2024 - The streets of Venezuela echoed with pulsating fervor this weekend, as citizens took to the streets to voice their support and dissent against the Nicolás Maduro government following the July 28 presidential elections.
With the nation standing on the edge, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced Maduro as the winner on Sunday night. According to a second bulletin published on Friday, Maduro gathered 51.95 percent of the vote, while his opponent, U.S.-backed Edmundo González, garnered 43.18 percent. However, the CNE has yet to reveal the detailed results by voting center, sparking calls for transparency from both domestic and foreign parties.
The hardline opposition Swore González as president-elect, spurring protests and, at times, violent clashes with law enforcement. The opposition also released a series of alleged polling station records to bolster their victory claim on Wednesday. Chavismo, on the other hand, staged marches in state capitals and major towns, with crowds clad in red descending onto the city center and marching towards the Miraflores Presidential Palace.
Maduro addressed the crowds, asserting that his administration is "the only guarantor of peace" in Venezuela. He accused the opponents of attempting to incite violence in the country, remarking, "We managed to thwart the fascist uprising." He emphasized the need for justice. In contrast, the hardline opposition held its own rallies, with far-right leader María Corina Machado addressing a modest crowd in Las Mercedes.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court intervened in the electoral process after Maduro appealed to the body on Thursday to investigate and validate the electoral results. The country's highest judicial authority has given the CNE until Monday to submit voting and totalization records from the July 28 contest.
Transparency demands and irregularities lace the election results, with various claims and counter-claims fueling the ongoing controversy. The Transparency demands include both official results and the opposition's parallel voting system. The Unitary Platform, a decentralized network of poll workers, conducted a parallel voter tabulation through cross-referencing digital fingerprints against government databases, allegedly tracking real-time discrepancies at individual polling stations.
The homemade voting system reportedly showed González winning decisively, with 67% of votes, while the government-declared figure was significantly lower. In addition, over 5 million Venezuelan migrants were barred from voting, a demographic believed to be largely anti-Maduro. The opposition continues to demand full data disclosure through bodies like the UN Fact-Finding Mission, though no formal vote recounts have been permitted.
The international community remains divided, with the United States and regional allies recognizing González as president-elect, while Russia, China, and various Latin American nations have congratulated Maduro on securing a third term. Amidst the divisive political landscape, the future of Venezuela hangs precariously in the balance.
Read more:[Theuality Analysis: 2024 Venezuelan Presidential Election][1][Maduro Wins Contested Venezuelan Presidential Election][2][Violent Protests Rock Venezuela Following Contested Election Results][3]
Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina from Caracas.
- [1] Theuality Analysis: 2024 Venezuelan Presidential Election - https://theuality.com/analysis/2024-venezuelan-presidential-election
- [2] Maduro Wins Contested Venezuelan Presidential Election - https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelas-maduro-declared-winner-contested-presidential-election-2021-08-04/
- [3] Violent Protests Rock Venezuela Following Contested Election Results - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59506355
- Despite calls for transparency, the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Venezuela has yet to reveal detailed results by voting center, a decision that has sparked controversy in both domestic and foreign politics.
- The National Electoral Council (CNE) in Venezuela announced Maduro as the winner of the 2024 presidential elections, but the opposition Swore Edmundo González as president-elect due to purported irregularities in the voting process.
- After the announcement of Maduro's victory, various countries, including Russia and China, have congratulated him on securing a third term, while the United States and regional allies have not recognized his win, instead recognizing Edmundo González as president-elect.
- In the wake of war-and-conflicts-ridden general-news, the politically charged atmosphere in Caracas following the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections has been marked by violent protests, as both the Chavismo and opposition supporters take to the streets to voice their opinions.
