Venezuelan security forces clash with protesters as Maduro’s reelection disputed

Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas Monday on protesters challenging President Nicolas Maduro’s claimed reelection victory, which is disputed by the opposition and questioned internationally.

Thousands took to the streets in several neighborhoods of the capital, chanting “Freedom, freedom!” and “This government is going to fall!” Some protesters tore down and burned Maduro campaign posters, while others banged pots and pans, a traditional form of protest in Latin America.

AFP observed national guard members firing tear gas at protesters, some of whom wore motorbike helmets and bandannas for protection. The demonstrators responded by throwing rocks at the guards.

Maduro Defends Victory Amid International Criticism

Earlier Monday, Maduro, 61, attended a meeting where the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified his reelection to a third six-year term, until 2031. Maduro dismissed international criticism and doubts about Sunday’s voting results, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted “coup d’etat” of a “fascist and counter-revolutionary” nature.

Amid mounting international criticism, Caracas announced it was pulling diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that had questioned Maduro’s victory.

Opposition and international response

The election was held amid widespread fears of government fraud and a campaign marred by accusations of political intimidation. Pollsters had predicted a resounding opposition victory, despite courts loyal to the regime barring its popular leader, Maria Corina Machado, from running for president.

In the early hours of Monday, the CNE declared Maduro had won 51.2 percent of votes cast, compared to 44.2 percent for Machado’s proxy, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The opposition claimed it had taken at least two-thirds of the vote.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab later linked Machado to an alleged hacking “attack” seeking to “adulterate” the results.

Calls for review and international sanctions

The United Nations, United States, European Union, and several Latin American countries expressed concern over irregularities, while Venezuela’s allies, including China, Russia, and Cuba, congratulated Maduro.

Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old former diplomat, vowed, “We will not rest until the will of the Venezuelan people is reflected.” Machado described the election as “another fraud” and insisted Gonzalez Urrutia was Venezuela’s legitimate president-elect.

Nine Latin American countries called for a “complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers.” The US-based Carter Center urged the CNE to immediately publish detailed polling station-level results.

Brazil and Colombia also called for a review of the numbers, while Chile’s president said the outcome was “hard to believe.” Peru recalled its ambassador, and Panama suspended relations with Caracas.

In response, Caracas announced it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay for their “interventionist actions and statements.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed “serious concerns” about the election outcome, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “transparency.”

Economic woes and migration pressure

Independent polls had predicted Sunday’s vote would end 25 years of “Chavismo,” the populist movement founded by Maduro’s socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez. Maduro has led the oil-rich country since 2013, during which time GDP has dropped by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of its 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition amid rising authoritarianism. Before the election, he warned of a “bloodbath” if he lost.

Ballots were cast on machines that sent electronic votes directly to a centralized CNE database. The machines printed out paper receipts that were counted by hand as a backup measure meant to be open to public scrutiny. The opposition deployed about 90,000 volunteer election monitors nationwide.

Sunday’s election resulted from a deal last year between the government and opposition, leading the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro’s 2018 reelection, which was rejected as a sham by dozens of countries. Sanctions were reinstated after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela has seen diminished production capacity in recent years. Most Venezuelans live on a few dollars a month and endure severe shortages of electricity and fuel. Economic hardship in Venezuela has been a significant source of migration pressure on the southern border of the United States, where immigration is a major presidential election issue.