For weeks, Venezuela's opposition has been demanding recognition of its candidate's election victory. They accuse the authoritarian President Maduro of electoral fraud. Today, thousands took to the streets again – including abroad.
In Venezuela, thousands of opposition supporters once again took to the streets and demonstrated for the publication of the individual election results of the presidential election at the end of July. Thousands of people gathered in the capital Caracas alone.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who usually stays in hiding for fear of being arrested, also appeared at the “protest for the truth”. She again called for an independent, international review of the election. “There is nothing above the voice of the people, and the people have spoken,” she said. She will fight “to the end” against the controversial re-election of the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro. “We will not leave the streets,” Machado promised.
There were also demonstrations in other cities. In Maracaibo, several hundred opponents of the government had already gathered in the early hours of the morning. Opposition supporters also took to the streets in the cities of Valencia, San Cristobal and Barquisimeto. In Maracay, about 110 kilometers west of Caracas, demonstrators were dispersed with tear gas.
Demos all over the world
According to government opponents, there were also demonstrations today in many other countries around the world, including Australia, South Korea, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador and the USA. Due to the country's serious political and economic crisis, more than seven million people – a quarter of the population – have left Venezuela and are living abroad.
According to the electoral authority, which is under government control, incumbent Maduro was re-elected with around 51 percent of the vote. The opposition, according to its own count, received 67 percent for its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. The government under Maduro is refusing to publish the election documents, as has been demanded internationally.
Revision of the Election results always less likely
Despite the dire economic situation, which has caused hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to flee abroad, analysts and opposition members believe that the likelihood of a revision of the election is becoming increasingly slim. According to researchers at the Institute for Advanced Administrative Studies in Caracas, Maduro has been responsible for a massive economic collapse in the country since 2013. The gross domestic product has fallen by around 73 percent.
