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As thousands of Venezuelans waved the national flag, opposition leader María Corina Machado made her way through the streets of Caracas on a truck while shouting “brave” and “freedom.” Then, before a crowd, she said it was the moment “that every vote is respected.” read more
 "Machado leads street protests in Venezuela as Maduro holds rally to reiterate victory claim")
Venezuelan nationals protest against the official results that declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the July presidential election, in Mexico City, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. - AP
Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in cities across the country to express their discontent with the contested presidential election results, which saw incumbent President Nicolas Maduro declared the winner.
In the capital city of Caracas, opposition leader María Corina Machado emerged from hiding to join the masses of protesters, despite facing accusations of insurrection.
Machado addressed the crowd, emphasising the power of the people’s voice and asserting that their collective message cannot be silenced. The protesters, many of whom waved flags and displayed patriotic symbols took to the streets to assert their support for the opposition’s claim to have won the presidency, rejecting the official results that granted Maduro another term in office.
The demonstrations in Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City and several other cities were an effort by the main opposition coalition to make visible what they insist is the real outcome of the election. They also called on governments to throw their support behind candidate Edmundo González and express support to Venezuelans who are fearful in their home country of speaking against Maduro and his allies during a brutal repression campaign.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, whose members are loyal to the ruling party, declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election hours after polls closed. Unlike previous presidential elections, the electoral body has not released the tally sheets’ detailed voting data to back up its claim that Maduro earned 6.4 million votes while González, who represented the Unitary Platform opposition coalition, garnered 5.3 million.
But González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado shocked Venezuelans when they revealed they obtained more than 80% of the vote tally sheets issued by every electronic voting machine after polls closed. The documents, they said, showed González winning by a wide margin and were uploaded to a website for anyone to see.
In Mexico City, some held signs criticizing the decision by Mexico’s government not to participate in a Friday hearing of the Organization of American States focused on Venezuela’s election crisis.
With inputs from agencies.
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English (US) ·