In the wake of a contested election victory by President Nicolas Maduro, protests by both ruling party and opposition supporters are anticipated in Venezuela on Tuesday. The opposition claims that vote tallies indicate their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won by a significant margin.
Electoral authorities announced on Monday that Maduro secured a third term with 51% of the vote, continuing a 25-year socialist rule. However, the opposition contends that the 73% of vote tallies they have access to show Gonzalez winning more than twice as many votes as Maduro.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has called for supporters to march on Tuesday to ensure every vote is counted and defend the truth. Meanwhile, Jorge Rodriguez, a ruling party lawmaker and Maduro’s campaign manager, has urged government supporters to march to the Miraflores presidential palace.
Maduro, who has faced accusations of election fraud and criticism for presiding over an economic collapse and mass migration, stated that his government would confront and defeat violent protesters, while also expressing support for peace.
Governments worldwide, including the United States, have called for a full vote tabulation, and the Organization of American States is set to discuss the election on Wednesday.
Opposition tallies show 2.75 million votes for Maduro and 6.27 million for Gonzalez, contrasting sharply with the electoral authority’s figures of 5.15 million for Maduro and 4.45 million for Gonzalez.
Clashes between protesters and security forces have already occurred, with reports of tear gas being used and at least two fatalities. In Falcon state’s capital, Coro, protesters toppled a statue of Maduro’s late mentor, Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan Conflict Observatory reported over 180 protests across 20 of the country’s 23 states, citing numerous acts of repression and violence by paramilitary groups and security forces.
