In Venezuela, after the opposition demonstrations to protest the results of the presidential election, which many countries have questioned, results that gave Nicolás Maduro the victory, it was the turn of the president’s camp to take to the streets on July 31. The Venezuelan president threatened to put opposition leaders in prison.
3 min
With our correspondent in Caracas, Alice Campaignolle
Increasingly under international pressure to justify his contested re-election, the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro threatened on Wednesday, July 31, to imprison the two opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, swearing that his opponents would not succeed ” never in power “.
Heir to the socialist and Bolivarian leader Hugo Chavez, Nicolás Maduro, 61, in power in Venezuela since 2013, was declared re-elected for a third term until 2031, following Sunday’s election, which he won with 51.2% of the vote against 44.2% for his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, according to official results.
The regime’s counterattack in the streets
Nicolás Maduro had called on his supporters to take to the streets of Caracas in large numbers on Wednesday, July 31, to show his strength to the opposition. But the demonstration did not bring together as many activists as that of his rivals the day before, and the majority of them were public officials, working in ministries, or within the state oil company.
The protesters came to challenge the opponents’ discourse on electoral fraud, as explained by Juan José Mora, a worker in the Caracas municipality. They spend their time talking about fraud, there was fraud, there was fraud, but I’m sorry, they haven’t proven anything. If they really won, let them show us the minutes, everyone should have this evidence. But hey, the president was appointed by the National Electoral Council “.
At the same time, Nicolás Maduro was at the Supreme Court headquarters to request an investigation into the electoral process, showing his desire for transparency. However, so far, not all the minutes of the polling stations have been made public by the electoral authorities.
On Wednesday evening, Maria Corina Machado called for mobilization against the power of Nicolas Maduro, on her X account. We have proposed to the regime to accept its defeat democratically (…) but it has chosen the path of repression, violence and lies. It is now up to all of us to assert the truth. Let us mobilize “, she writes. She emphasizes that the government refused ” to begin negotiations to ensure a peaceful transition. »
The opposition had not called for a demonstration until now. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, its candidate, had even estimated on Monday that the ” demonstrations » of the day did not contribute to « the objective “.
US denounces election results
The top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Brian Nichols, said Wednesday, July 31, that Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had ” clearly » defeated incumbent President Nicolás Maduro.
The US Under Secretary of State for Latin America added in a speech to the Organization of American States (OAS) that the gap was even ” millions of voices ” and proved a victory “ irrefutable “, validating counts relayed by civil society organizations and the opposition.
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