Domestic and international condemnation continues to dispute Maduro’s third presidential election in July as his grip tightens on Venezuela. Sofia Chirico details how the Venezuelan opposition have responded.
On August 28, the European Union’s 27 foreign ministers jointly declared incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s third election win on July 28 to have been fraudulent. The United States further declared opposition candidate Edmundo González the winner of the election.
Protests and anti-Maduro demonstrations have erupted across the country since the announcement of Maduro’s victory, including in the Venezuelan capital city Caracas. These protests, led by opposition leader María Corina Machado, served to revive resistance to Maduro’s reinstatement as president, one month after the results were announced.
Since Maduro became president in 2013, Venezuela has has experienced significant censorship, coercion of state institutions, wrongful detentions, and violent repression under the autocratic administration. Long imposed sanctions from the US and EU, among others, have been unsuccessful in persuading Maduro to respect human rights and democratic norms.
The opposition party held a lead in the polls before official election results were announced. Following numerous riots and protests, Maduro’s re-election seemed unlikely. According to the BBC’s Latin American reporter Mimi Swaby, the opposition accused Maduro of election fraud immediately after the results became public. Opposition leader Machado declared that their presidential candidate, González, had won 70% of the votes, despite the national electoral council announcing a 51% majority win for Maduro.
The US has expressed concerns that, as reported by many Venezuelan citizens, irregularities arose during the counting process of the votes. Both the EU and the UK have demanded transparency, highlighting the importance of respecting democracy and the Venezuelan people’s political will.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) has recorded more than 280 anti-government demonstrations in the last month, the majority of which have been violently repressed by Maduro-controlled officers, leading to the death of up to 27 people.
The Venezuelan people continue to protest and demand that the election sheets are made public in the name of truthfulness and transparency. The opposition has affirmed that they will continue to fight for transparency and will not accept defeat.