Photo: Matias Delacroix Associated Press “There is no reason to repress the people of Venezuela,” said opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, seen here on a vehicle alongside opposition leader Maria Corina, on Tuesday. Machado, declared ineligible.
Mariette Le Roux – Agence France-Presse and in Caracas
Published at 10:29 Updated at 12:43
- Americas
International pressure increased significantly on Wednesday on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is trying to have his contested re-election recognized, including by force in the streets, but is now being summoned by a growing number of country to carry out a new “transparent count” of the results.
In a statement signed by the heads of diplomacy of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the high representative of the European Union, the G7 called on Caracas to “publish in full transparency the detailed electoral results” of Sunday’s vote.
Expressing “serious concerns about the results […] and about the way in which the electoral process was conducted,” the G7 demanded that this new count be “shared immediately with the opposition and independent observers.”
“The Venezuelan authorities must put an end to the detentions, repression and violent rhetoric against members of the opposition,” thundered the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, following in the footsteps of the Spanish socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, demanding “transparency” and “respect for fundamental rights ».
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“Serious doubts”
Regional-wide, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has nevertheless renewed ties with Chavist Venezuela in the last two years, has also expressed “serious doubts” about the results and called for a “transparent count” of the votes and minutes.
In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his American counterpart Joe Biden agreed on the importance of having complete, detailed results.
Mr Maduro, 61, was declared re-elected for a third term until 2031, with 51.2% of the vote against 44.2% for his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The opposition denounces “massive fraud” and demands a transparent counting of the ballots.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000To date, the National Electoral Council (CNE), under the authority of the government, has not yet proclaimed the detailed results of the vote, as demanded by the opposition.
According to an official statement, Mr. Maduro was due to go to the Supreme Court on Wednesday for “a very important presidential activity.”
Pro-government demonstrations are planned for the same day in the streets of Caracas, where activity has timidly resumed in wealthy neighborhoods, but remained paralyzed in the rest of the capital, AFP noted.
“Devils and Demons” »
On Tuesday, thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated shouting “Freedom, freedom!” to claim victory for their candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 74.
In front of his supporters in the capital, he challenged the army and the government. “There is no reason to repress the people of Venezuela,” said the former ambassador, the understudy of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was declared ineligible.
Since Monday, at least 11 civilians, including two minors, have been killed during the demonstrations, according to four human rights NGOs. Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported a 12th death, a soldier shot dead.
There were also 84 civilians and 23 soldiers injured, according to figures from the NGO National Hospital Survey and the Ministry of Defense respectively.
According to the public prosecutor's office, “749 delinquents” were arrested in the context of the demonstrations, some for “terrorism.”
The opposition denounced an “escalation of repression” and the arrest of one of its leaders, Freddy Superlano. Nicolas Maduro has placed the blame on her, warning that “justice will prevail against devils and demons”, thundering once again against the supposed “fascism” of the rival camp.
The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, considered that “Maria Corina and Edmundo” should be arrested, accusing them of being responsible for the post-election protests.
“Absolute loyalty”
Venezuela, long one of the richest nations in Latin America, is bled dry, mired in an unprecedented crisis: a collapse in oil production, a GDP reduced by 80% in ten years, poverty and dilapidated health and education systems. More than seven million Venezuelans have fled their country.
A pillar of power under President Hugo Chavez from 1999 until his death in 2013, as under his successor Nicolas Maduro, the security apparatus holds a large part of Venezuela's destiny in its hands.
The Minister of Defense, General Vladimir Padrino, has already “reaffirmed” the “absolute loyalty” of the armed forces to Mr. Maduro, who also has China, Russia, Iran and Nicaragua as allies.
The Organization of American States (OAS) has denounced “an aberrant manipulation.”
Nine Latin American countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay) called in a joint statement for a “complete review [of the results] with the presence of independent electoral observers.”
In retaliation, Venezuela withdrew its diplomatic personnel from seven states in the region and broke off relations with Peru, which recognized the opposition candidate as the “legitimate” president.