Venezuelan opposition to march against Maduro election 'fraud' / Photo: © AFP
Venezuelan opposition to march against Maduro election 'fraud'
One month after a presidential vote it claims was stolen by incumbent Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's opposition has called for mass rallies Wednesday to press for the recognition of its election "victory."
It will be the fourth round of organized demonstrations held since the July 28 vote, which saw both sides claim victory but Maduro declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which is staffed mainly by his allies.
Several Latin American countries, the United States and European Union have called on the CNE to release polling-station-level data to verify the outcome, which the council said it could not do due to a computer hack.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia have been mostly in hiding since then, with Maduro calling for the duo to be arrested.
Spontaneous protests erupted in the hours after he was declared the winner of the poll, with at least 25 civilians killed and more than 2,400 arrests carried out.
Machado came out of hiding for the last two organized opposition rallies on August 3 and 17 in Caracas.
She also attended the first, on July 30, where Gonzalez Urrutia was seen in public for the last time.
"Everyone to the... street!" Machado appealed in a post on X on Monday.
"We'll see each other at 11:00am (1500 GMT) in Caracas, in the rest of the country and also in several cities around the world. We will not rest, let's go to the end!!"
The Unitary Platform opposition coalition urged people to turn out "with your children, with your grandchildren" to push for the recognition of "our glorious victory" in the face of Maduro's "fraud."
- 'Harassment' -
The CNE, with most of its members loyal to 61-year-old Maduro, declared him the winner hours after the vote closed.
The CNE has said it cannot publish the detailed polling-station-level data that the opposition, observers and several countries have called for, claiming that hackers had corrupted the data. Observers have said there was no evidence of the claim.
The opposition has published its own voting station records, which it says show that Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old retired diplomat, won by a landslide.
That publication has led to state prosecutors issuing a summons for Gonzalez Urrutia in an investigation for "usurpation" of official powers.
He twice ignored the summons, first on Monday then again on Tuesday, with the opposition saying that he was being subjected to "judicial harassment."
The charges against Gonzalez Urrutia carry a potential 30-year sentence.
The ruling "Chavista" movement -- named after Maduro's socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez -- has also called for demonstrations Wednesday to celebrate Maduro's "victory."
On Tuesday, Maduro forged ahead with his plans for a third six-year term by reshuffling his cabinet and naming two of his closest allies to key positions.
Diosdado Cabello, the number-two in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), will now head the interior ministry, which is responsible for policing and security matters.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez will take over the role of oil minister in a country with the world's largest crude reserves but an industry bent under US sanctions.
Also on Tuesday, Machado -- replaced on the ballot by Gonzalez Urrutia at the last minute after the regime barred her from running -- accused Maduro's government of "kidnapping" her lawyer.
The authorities have not commented on the reported arrest, which would add to more than 100 opposition activists taken into custody in recent months.
Six of Machado's most trusted collaborators, including her campaign chief, have taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas.
T.Bailey--TNT
Featured