A Rigged Election In Venezuela

A Bitter Aftertaste VENEZUELA At least 16 people died in protests following the contested election win of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while the opposition said their candidate won in a landslide, Reuters reported. The announcement of the election board on Monday, awarding the outgoing president a third term, triggered protests from both pro- and anti-Maduro camps in the capital, Caracas, and other cities. Law enforcement shot tear gas and rubber bullets at the angry crowds, while some protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs in return. Across the country, protesters knocked down statues of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s late socialist ruler who chose Maduro as his successor, noted the Telegraph. The election board said Maduro won the presidential vote with 51.2 percent of the votes, while the opposition’s candidate Edmundo González garnered 44.2 percent. But the opposition, considering the board to be a mouthpiece for Maduro, said their own assessment of partial tallies showed that González had won more than twice as many votes as the incumbent. The opposition’s claims were in line with pollsters’ predictions of a Maduro defeat ahead of the election. On Tuesday, protests spread to poor neighborhoods that had previously offered overwhelming support for Maduro. Throughout the capital, protesters chanted “Freedom! Freedom!” Maduro dismissed the protesters’ demands, saying that “they are trying to impose in Venezuela a coup d’état.” The election left the international community divided, with the United States and other Western powers as well as numerous South American countries expressing concerns over a lack of transparency and credibility, while China, Russia, and Mexico offered Maduro their congratulations. Meanwhile, Peru recalled its ambassador and ordered Venezuelan envoys to leave within 72 hours, in a show of disapproval over Maduro’s victory, Reuters reported. Share this story