Two days after his disputed re-election, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took to the streets to denounce the "terrorist conspiracy" of which he claims to be the victim and which he intends to thwart. On Tuesday, July 30, the head of state called the 74-year-old opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who claims to have won the presidential election, a "fascist," and those on the streets crying fraud "criminals."
Maduro holds Gonzalez "responsible for everything that is happening in the country, the criminal violence, the deaths, the injuries, the destruction." In 48 hours, at least 12 people have been killed, some of them victims of members of the colectivos, the often armed groups of civilians who pose as defenders of the Bolivarian revolution.
The president addressed his ministers and generals, who on both sides of the table listened motionless. "We're going to capture all the delinquents in the country, all of them," he promised. From the presidential balcony, the head of state then called on the hundreds of supporters present to further strengthen the "civic-military-police alliance" in defense of the regime. Maduro spoke throughout the afternoon, without ever mentioning Sunday's disputed election, whose victory is attributed to the outgoing president by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
"No forgiveness for fascists, no dialogue with fascists, but prison sentences," declared the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, in the morning, asking the Public Prosecutor's Office to jail Gonzalez and his political sidekick, Maria Corina Machado.
Human rights organizations are concerned about the criminalization of demonstrations and their violent repression. The Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflicts has listed more than 300 peaceful rallies since the CNE announced that Maduro had been re-elected for a third term with 51.2% of the vote.
Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab reported that one soldier had been shot dead. Twenty-three others were injured. A total of "749 delinquents" were arrested since the protests began, Saab said. The detainees could be charged with "terrorism." The opposition denounced the detention, on Tuesday morning, of Freddy Superlano, ex-lawmaker for the Voluntad Popular party.
Supported by part of the international community, the demonstrators are demanding that the CNE publish detailed figures of the vote count, convinced that they will reveal the fraud. "And then what?" asked Jaime Ramirez, a 46-year-old engineer, who said he is skeptical.
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