Venezuela-Show Me The Numbers

Show Me the Numbers Venezuela Mass demonstrations continued across Venezuela over the weekend, part of street protests that erupted nationwide following the July 28 presidential win of incumbent Nicolás Maduro amid accusations of fraud and irregularities, Merco Press reported. Last week, Venezuela’s electoral authority declared Maduro the winner of the vote with around 51 percent of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo González received 46 percent of the vote. But Maduro’s opponents have said they have proof that the opposition won handily. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest against the results, prompting authorities to launch a violent crackdown that has seen more than 2,000 people detained and 11 killed, Reuters wrote. On Saturday, opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose candidacy to run for president was disqualified, joined the rallies in the capital Caracas, claiming that Maduro’s regime has lost its legitimacy and described July 28 as a milestone marking the transition to democracy in Venezuela. Machado’s participation in the weekend protests was significant because she had been in hiding over fears for her life. Critics and international election observers, such as the US-based Carter Center, have labeled the vote undemocratic because of irregularities and a lack of transparency, adding that the detailed polling data has not been released. Venezuela’s government is also facing international pressure over the results and its subsequent crackdown. Over the weekend, leaders from seven European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, called for the Venezuelan authorities to publish the detailed vote counts to ensure transparency, Politico added. Meanwhile, a number of countries, including the United States, Argentina and Costa Rica, have recognized González as the rightful winner. However, Venezuela’s allies, such as Russia and China, have congratulated Maduro on winning his third term. The Venezuelan president has accused demonstrators of being part of a US-backed coup attempt and vowed “maximum punishment” for those involved. In an effort to quell unrest, Maduro asked the country’s supreme court to do an audit of the presidential vote. Still, opponents and foreign observers have protested the decision, warning that the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review, according to the Associated Press. Share this story