Agencies;- At least four people were killed in violent protests that erupted on Monday following the disputed re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and which were repressed by the authorities, before new demonstrations called for this Tuesday by Chavismo and the opposition.
The NGO Foro Penal reported the first death in the state of Yaracuy (northwest), and then the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors the hospital crisis, reported another three dead and 44 wounded, most by firearms. The Ministry of Defense reported that 23 military personnel were also wounded.
Authorities also arrested around 50 people, including opposition leader Freddy Superlano, in what the opposition has called an “escalation of repression.”
A day after the pro-government National Electoral Council granted Maduro victory for a third six-year term (51% of the votes), thousands of people took to the streets in protest.
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protests on Monday, while gunshots were heard in some areas.
The opposition has denounced fraud and says it has the evidence to prove it, while the international community is pushing for a transparent vote count.
Led by María Corina Machado and her candidate Edmundo González, the opposition called on Tuesday for “citizens’ assemblies” in front of the United Nations headquarters in Caracas, and also in all cities across the country.
For his part, Maduro, who denounced a coup d’état “of a fascist and counterrevolutionary nature,” called for “a great march to Miraflores,” the presidential palace, “to defend peace.”
Opposition leaders distanced themselves from the violent protest, amid accusations from those in power that they claimed fraud to foment destabilization in the country.
Protesters who use violence “do not contribute to this objective,” said Gonzalez on Monday, who claimed victory. “There is a lot of indignation and we understand that, but we have to remain calm and serene until we achieve victory.”
During the campaign, the opposition has already reported the arrest of some 150 people.
“Persecution”
Freddy Superlano, who was arrested on Tuesday, is a senior member of the Voluntad Popular (VP) party led by exiled leader Leopoldo López, who is accused of terrorism.
VP showed the video of the moment of the arrest carried out by officers dressed in black and armed.
Relatives waited outside the National Guard headquarters – a military component with public order powers – where several women, including minors, were detained during Monday’s protests.
“My daughter is a minor, she is 16 years old, she is with her first daughter (who) is 25 years old, they went out yesterday at 11 or 12 to walk and they were caught (…) they were not protesting,” a 50-year-old woman who asked to remain anonymous told AFP.
“I am in a state of anxiety, my daughter is a student, she is a musician, she is a girl from her home,” she added.
A 32-year-old doctor was also waiting to hear about the situation of a relative who was arrested at the protest.
“We went out (…) for our right to vote, which was robbed from us on July 28th in the presidential elections. Unfortunately, we are experiencing persecution by this government,” said the man, who also refused to give his name for security reasons.
“Aberrant manipulation”
The Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday denounced that Sunday’s presidential elections suffered “the most aberrant manipulation,” according to a statement from the office of its secretary general Luis Almagro.
Machado said on Monday that he had copies of 73% of the voting records proving the alleged fraud, and projected a victory for González with 6.27 million votes compared to 2.75 million for Maduro.
The release of the voting records is also a request from the international community questioning Maduro’s re-election, including his neighbouring countries Colombia and Brazil, as well as the United States.
The Venezuelan government expelled diplomatic personnel from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay in response to what it called “interventionist actions” by their countries.
Six collaborators of María Corina Machado, who reported a police siege of the diplomatic headquarters, have been sheltering in the Argentine embassy for weeks.
