Protests erupted in parts of Caracas Monday, July 29, against the re-election victory claimed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but disputed by the opposition and questioned internationally. Protesters in one neighborhood chanted: "It's going to fall, it's going to fall, this government is going to fall." Police were deployed in large numbers to parts of the city.
The regime earlier defended itself against claims of election rigging, alleging it was the target of an attempted "coup" and linking the opposition leader to a bid to "adulterate" the results. Nicolas Maduro, declared the winner of Sunday's vote by the loyalist CNE electoral council, charged at a press conference that "they are trying to impose in Venezuela a coup d'etat" of a "fascist and counter-revolutionary" nature. Minutes earlier, Attorney General Tarek William Saab linked opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to an alleged hacking "attack" to "adulterate" the results.
The elections were held Sunday amid widespread fears of fraud and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation. Pollsters had predicted a resounding victory for the opposition despite institutions loyal to the regime barring wildly popular Machado from running.
The CNE electoral council, largely loyal to Maduro, on Monday officially declared him president-elect for the period 2025-2031. On Sunday, it said he had won 51.2% of votes cast compared to 44.2% for Machado's proxy, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The opposition cried foul, saying it had taken at least two-thirds of the vote In some neighborhoods of the capital, residents were heard banging pots and pans in protest. The result sparked concern over irregularities from the United Nations, United States, European Union and several countries in Latin America.
Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement Monday for a "complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers." The US-based Carter Center, one of few organizations allowed to bring observers into Venezuela, called on the CNE to immediately publish polling station-level results.
Brazil and Colombia also urged a review of the numbers while Chile's president said the outcome was "hard to believe. Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Caracas.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres separtately urged "transparency." Maduro meanwhile received congratulations from allies China, Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and Bolivia, and Mexico said it would recognize the result.