Photo: Raul Arboleda Agence France-Presse Despite thousands of anti-government protesters in Caracas on Monday, many preferred to protest from their windows or balconies for fear of the “colectivos,” the nickname given to groups of pro-government activists.
Margioni Bermudez – Agence France-Presse in Caracas
Published at 17:39 Updated at 21:56
- Americas
Spontaneous demonstrations in the streets, the sound of pots and pans from buildings… Venezuelans are protesting against the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro proclaimed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) while the opposition cries fraud.
“Let him give back the power now! ” or “Freedom! Freedom ! “, shout demonstrators in Petaré, a working-class neighborhood in eastern Caracas, once considered the largest slum in Latin America.
Several thousand people marched in the rain, shouting their discontent and burning effigies of Nicolas Maduro.
The demonstrators, who threw stones, were dispersed by tear gas grenades while 'they were getting closer to the center of the capital.
According to the CNE, Mr. Maduro, the heir of former President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013), was re-elected for a third consecutive term with 51.2% of the vote, compared to 44.2% for the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
But the opposition rejects these results, claiming to have obtained 70% of the votes.
Photo: Raul Arboleda Agence France-Presse Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Caracas on Monday to protest the results of the previous day's presidential election.
On Monday evening, its leader, Maria Corina Machado, who had been unable to run in the election because she was declared ineligible by the government in place, assured that the opposition now had the means to “prove” the victory of its candidate.
Ms. Machado affirmed that this “proof of victory” had been provided to “leaders” around the world and that it would be put online for everyone during the night.
“We are disappointed, this does not reflect reality, we voted against Nicolas,” said Carolina Rojas, 21, in the procession in Petaré.
“We are out because there was fraud,” added David, 40, who did not want to give his last name. “They are calling the army [to crack down] but we have to protest.” »
“I don’t want bonuses, I don’t want Claps, I want Maduro to go,” protesters chant, referring to the low wages and food aid (Clap) distributed by the government.
The minimum wage is $4 a month, but the government has introduced mandatory bonuses of around $130.
Photo: Yuri Cortez Agence France-Presse An opponent of President Maduro throws back a tear gas grenade during a clash with riot police on Monday in the Catya neighborhood of Caracas.
In the city center, in the morning, people were reluctant to go out but expressed their anger from their windows by banging on pots and pans.
A few nevertheless took to the streets, like this woman who, with tears in her eyes and on condition of anonymity, recounts her reaction to the CNE announcement. “I felt very helpless, I went out to scream. “They waited until one in the morning to give false results,” she fumes.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“Now we are thinking: 'Am I going to leave [emigrate], am I going to stay, and the last one left turns off the light?',” she says ironically.
“My family stayed home to cry,” says the owner of a fast-food restaurant with its security gate ajar.
From his apartment, a young man asks: “Where are the five million [the number of votes for Maduro given by the CNE] people celebrating Maduro?.”
See also
- Canada “concerned” about Venezuelan elections
- Concern and disappointment in Venezuela after Maduro’s contested re-election
Fear of the “colectivos”
Many prefer to protest from their windows or balconies for fear of the “colectivos”, the nickname given to groups of pro-government activists. Organized into gangs and feared for their violence, they are accused of repressing anti-government demonstrations.
During his speech before the CNE, brushing aside criticism from the opposition and the international community, Nicolas Maduro denounced an attempt to impose a “fascist coup d'état in Venezuela”.
Jenny Gil, 56, dared to go down and tap a pan on La Candelaria Avenue, in the heart of Caracas.
«We We are disappointed with Maduro, Edmundo won. I was present during the vote at the Andrés Eloy school and we counted vote by vote, and he won, I have proof that he won,” she assures.
Photo: Yuri Cortez Agence France-Presse Some Venezuelans expressed their frustration with the presidential election results by banging pots and pans in Caracas on Monday.
Janeth Carabaño, 49, returned from Ecuador two months ago in the hope of a change of government. “I left the country for five years and I came to vote. It is unacceptable that they are stealing my vote in such a blatant way, it is an injustice!” she says.
A group of young people climb a street light pole to remove one of the hundreds of posters of Maduro that line the streets of Caracas.
“When I heard the results, I started crying, I was outraged, and I said I’m going to go out tomorrow [today], because it can’t go on like this, enough is enough,” adds Carabaño, who says she wants a better future for her two children and grandchild.
“They robbed us,” shouts a passing motorist, while others honk in support of the small group gathered on the sidewalk.
Maria, a 78-year-old retiree, says she feels “abandoned.” “They made us suffer from hunger.”
But the protest is short-lived. “A man came by and made a sign [rubbed his finger] over his neck to tell us that we were going to die,” Jenny Gil assures us.
With Patrick Fort and Javier Tovar of Agence France-Presse
Hugo Chavez statues toppled
Two statues of Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, were toppled in La Guaira (Caracas beach) and Mariara (north) by protesters, his designated heir Nicolás Maduro announced on television on Monday, after his contested re-election.
“They went to attack Commander Chavez, the commander president, the best president Venezuela has had in 150 years,” said Mr. Maduro.
According to videos broadcast by the media Efecto Cocuyo, in La Guaira, protesters are toppling the three-meter-high statue of Hugo Chavez located on the seafront while shouting “Down with it.” In another video, people are seen dragging the statue along the ground while some are hitting it with sticks.
The other statue was toppled in Mariara, a town about 100 kilometers west of the capital Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro said.
Charismatic during his lifetime, Hugo Chavez is the subject of a personality cult by the authorities who often compare him to the “Libertador” Simon Bolivar, born in Venezuela and an emblematic figure of the emancipation of the Spanish colonies in South America.
According to many economists, the management of Mr. Chavez, a socialist admirer of Cuba who said he wanted to reduce poverty, led the country towards the economic crisis it has experienced in recent years.