Venezuelans Continue to Protest ‘Undemocratic’ Election
Pressure continues to mount on President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela as political leaders have joined thousands of protesters in Caracas, urging them to not be afraid.
United Nations experts have stated that the presidential election lacked “basic transparency and integrity” and echoed the Carter Center, whose independent observers said the election “could not be considered democratic”.
The European Union, the United States and several Latin American nations have also refused to recognise the widely disputed result, while Venezuelan ex-patriots have held demonstrations in a host of countries around the world, including the UK, Australia, Spain, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina.
The electoral commission, which is controlled by close allies of President Maduro, has refused to release any specific results, declaring him victorious with 52% of the vote.
Around 2,500 citizens have been detained since the result was announced, but are being urged to continue the protests, which has seen many people waving copies of election records from their voting stations as proof of victory.
The opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, is understood to be in hiding and has been mocked by Maduro, who said he was “living in a cave”.
