Maduro regime acts to silence opposition after ‘stolen’ poll
As Nicolas Maduro faces growing pressure to recognise the opposition’s victory, 11 people die in protests as Venezuelans brace for a crackdown from his security forces.
Venezuela strongman Nicolas Maduro’s regime has vowed to crush a burgeoning protest movement against election results that cement his grip on power, amid growing evidence he lost by a wide margin, and violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Authorities had already begun arresting some opposition leaders, while a senior Maduro aide said police should lock up the President’s main challenger, 74-year-old retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, and Maria Corina Machado, a top opposition figure.
O ditador Nicolás Maduro acabou de sequestrar Freddy Superlano, dirigente do partido de Maria Corina Machado. Neste vÃdeo, gravado há poucos minutos em Caracas, podemos ver forças de segurança da ditadura venezuelana arranco-o do seu carro e o levando para parte incerta.
— Hoje no Mundo Militar (@hoje_no) July 30, 2024
Como eu… pic.twitter.com/WjpZUFS0u8
Riot police on motorcycles and armoured vehicles fired tear gas on crowds of opposition protesters on Tuesday, as a coalition of four human-rights groups reported they had documented at least 11 deaths during countrywide street clashes.
Worry spread of more violence as Mr Maduro – who promised a “bloodbath” if he lost the election – called on his supportersto rally around the presidential palace, a day after a host of angry protesters marched there and fought with government backers.
White House officials said they were “deeply concerned” about the situation unfolding in Venezuela and questioned the election results, but Washington has few points of leverage to dislodge Mr Maduro. He has consolidated military, police, judiciary and media power since the death of his socialist mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013 and given Russia, China and other US rivals a foothold in the western hemisphere, strengthening his regime.
Restoring sanctions on Venezuelan oil – which the Biden administration lifted to coax Mr Maduro to hold fair elections – has the potential to raise gasoline prices in the middle of the presidential election. But doing nothing could have consequences too: Nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled the country in recent years, exacerbating a migrant crisis on the US’s southernborder, and another six years of Mr Maduro in power could expand the exodus, regional analysts said.
President Joe Biden held a 30-minute phone call with one of Mr Maduro’s top foreign allies, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday about Venezuela, a call that was requested by the US, said people close to the Brazilian government. “We agree on the need for an immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities,” Mr Biden said later.
Mr Lula’s leftist political party has already recognised Mr Maduro as the election winner, putting the Brazilian President in a bind as he has made defence of democracy a keystone of his legacy.
The Venezuelan opposition has moved to show concrete evidence that the election was stolen. Polls showed Mr Gonzalez was leading by 25 percentage points or more in the days before the voting, but the regime-controlled election council declared Mr Maduro the winner with 80 per cent of the vote counted, saying he had won 51 per cent. The government has said they would release the data in the coming days and blame the delay on opposition-linked hackers who they say attacked their electoral system on voting day.
The opposition said it had collected data from 73 per cent of the country’s voting stations on its own and compiled it in a publicly accessible database on Tuesday.
Using their national identification, Venezuelans can sign in and review a scanned tally sheet from their voting station showing how many votes went to each candidate. The opposition says the database shows that Mr Gonzalez, received 6.3 million votes to 2.8 million for Mr Maduro.
“I found mine, the proof is there,” said Celina Ramirez, an opposition supporter who said she was able to log into the websiteto locate the tally sheet from her east Caracas voting centre, which she said showed Mr Gonzalez receiving the lion’s share of votes. “There’s no way the regime can fool everyone with their tricks.”
The Carter Centre, one of the few international organisations invited to monitor the elections, said it couldn’t verify the results because of the government’s failure to publish comprehensive polling data at the local level.
“Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic,” the centre said.
The opposition hopes the release of the database will increase pressure on Mr Maduro’s autocratic regime to make public the detailed results of the election.
Venezuelans were bracing for a security crackdown as it became clear Mr Maduro wouldn’t leave power easily. On Tuesday, opposition politician Freddy Superlano, who in the past led protests against the regime, was detained by armed men on a Caracas street.
The Wall Street Journal
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