"Maduro Rejection" Angry Venezuelan Public Sentiment... Chavez Statue Destroyed

Protest Against Election Fraud... Molotov Cocktails and Tear Gas
1 Dead... Opposition Party "Won More Than Twice the Votes"
Foreign Governments Concerned... Maduro Calls Them "Thugs"

Venezuela held its presidential election on the 28th (local time), and as suspicions of election fraud grew, protest demonstrations ignited.

According to major foreign media such as The Guardian, AP News, and CNN, protests against the presidential election results took place across the country, including the capital Caracas, on the 29th.

When Maduro's victory was announced, protesters engaged in the Latin American tradition of 'cacerolazo' protests, loudly banging pots and pans. The protesters threw Molotov cocktails and clashed with the police, who responded by firing tear gas, foreign media reported.

AP News reported that while the protests were mostly peaceful, dozens of police officers in riot gear blocked a caravan, leading to scuffles. The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones at police stationed on major roads.

CNN reported witnessing dozens of National Guard soldiers in riot gear suppressing the otherwise peaceful protesters with tear gas and batons.

As clashes between protesters and law enforcement intensified, casualties were reported. The local civic group 'Foro Penal' stated that one person died and 46 were arrested in Yaracuy state in northwestern Venezuela during the protests.

On X (formerly Twitter), a video surfaced showing protesters in Falc?n state toppling a statue of former President Hugo Ch?vez. The crowd, engaged in anti-government protests, cheered after knocking down and destroying the Ch?vez statue.

Former President Ch?vez, who died in 2013, was a prominent leftist figure in Venezuela, Maduro’s predecessor, and his 'political mentor.' The newly re-elected President Nicol?s Maduro has referred to himself as 'Ch?vez’s son.'

Earlier, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council announced about six hours after the polls closed that President Maduro had secured the highest vote share, winning a third term. However, the council did not release real-time vote counts and blocked civic groups wishing to observe the counting, leading the opposition and the international community to raise suspicions of election fraud.

According to AP News, candidate Edmundo Gonz?lez Urrutia, who was announced as the runner-up by the electoral council, had obtained over 70% of the counted votes and reportedly received more than twice the votes of President Maduro. Opposition leader Mar?a Corina Machado claimed to reporters that according to the counted votes, Maduro received over 2.7 million votes, while Gonz?lez received about 6.2 million votes.

Gonz?lez and Machado urged the continuation of protests on the 30th as well.

Some foreign governments, including the United States and the European Union (EU), have not recognized the election results. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed serious concerns, stating that the announced tally does not reflect the actual vote count or the will of the people. Foreign ministers from several European countries, including the United Kingdom and Spain, also voiced their concerns.

According to CNN, other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay did not recognize the results and issued expulsion orders for Venezuelan diplomats on the 29th.

President Maduro reiterated in a televised speech that evening his intention to suppress the backlash. He claimed that paid agitators attacked electoral council offices, saying, "We know how to confront this situation and how to defeat the thugs." He also asserted that most protesters were criminals and that the protests were planned in the United States.