Venezuelans from around the world have taken to the streets to demand recognition of their opposition’s claim to victory in last month’s presidential election. The opposition claims that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won the election comfortably, despite the National Electoral Council declaring Nicolas Maduro the winner. The opposition has obtained documents from electronic voting machines that show they won more than 80% of the vote, and has uploaded them to a website for anyone to see.
Meanwhile, the government has not released detailed voting data to support its claim that Maduro won 6.4 million votes to Gonzalez’s 5.3 million. The government has launched a brutal repression campaign, with more than 2,000 people arrested and 24 killed in connection with protests sparked by the election results. The opposition has called on governments to throw their support behind Gonzalez and express solidarity with Venezuelans who are fearful of speaking out against the government.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado led a protest in Caracas, shouting “brave” and “freedom” as she drove through the streets on a truck. She told the crowd that it was the moment “that every vote is respected” and called on the world to recognize Gonzalez as the president-elect. Gonzalez himself posted on social media, saying “they will not be able to cover up the reality of July 28: we won resoundingly”.
Maria Corina Machad (Image via Getty)
The international community has also weighed in, with the Organisation of American States holding a hearing on the election crisis. Protesters in Mexico City expressed gratitude for countries like the United States and Canada that have stood in solidarity with the Venezuelan opposition. Others held signs criticizing Mexico’s government for not participating in the hearing. The gatherings of Venezuelans are an effort to make visible what they insist is the real outcome of the election, and to demand international recognition of their claim to victory.
Protests have been held in cities such as Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City, and Caracas, with protesters waving the national flag and chanting slogans like “Freedom, freedom” and “Maduro out, Maduro out”. The opposition has called on governments to recognize Gonzalez as the president-elect and to support the demonstrators who are taking to the streets. As the situation continues, it remains to be seen whether the international community will recognize the opposition’s claim to victory and whether this will lead to a resolution to the crisis in Venezuela.
