Protests continue in Venezuela over presidential election results

Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro may have claimed victory in his country’s presidential election on July 28, but many people in the country still believe he lost.

Thousands of people continue to protest the results of the election nearly a month after it was called. Opposition leader María Corina Machado joined the protesters in the country’s capital this week, encouraging the demonstrations to continue and expressing her support, BBC reported. She also urged protesters to continue to show bravery. 

“We won’t leave the streets,” Machado told the thousands protesting Maduro’s alleged victory. 

Many world leaders were skeptical about Venezuela’s election results from July. The country’s opposition party revealed it had proof of Maduro’s defeat, claiming it obtained 70% of the tally sheets from the election which showed that Maduro had indeed lost the election to Democratic Unitary Platform candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The Associated Press also reported that Gonzalez had significantly more votes than Maduro at the time of the election.

On Aug. 16, the U.S. State Department released a joint statement about the election in Venezuela, criticizing the actions of the government. 

“Acceptance and respect for the dignity and integrity of all individuals are the essential principles upon which the peaceful coexistence in our societies is built,” read the statement. “We urge for the respect of democratic principles, as well as the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Venezuelans, particularly the freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression. We are concerned that this reality currently does not exist in Venezuela. Reports of arbitrary detentions of Venezuelans without due process are alarming, and therefore we urgently call for their immediate release.”

The statement also identified the election results that conflicted with Maduro’s, which questioned the credibility of his claim of victory. 

“We take note of the preliminary report by the United Nations Expert Panel on the presidential election in Venezuela which indicates that the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela has yet to present the electoral records that substantiate the validity of the results announced on August 2,” noted the joint statement. “It should also be noted that a digital version of more than 80% of the electoral records has been published, which shows a different outcome than that reported by the CNE.”

“Consequently, we request the immediate publication of all original records and the impartial and independent verification of those results, preferably by an international entity, to ensure respect for the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the polls,” read the joint statement. “Any delay in this process calls into question the August 2, 2024, official proclamation.”

This statement was signed by 21 other countries, including the Republic of Argentina, Canada, Republic of Chile, the Italian Republic, the United States, and the European Union.

Additionally, the European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, warned that if Maduro was unable to prove that he was victorious in the July election, it could lead to a serious crisis in the country.

“If Maduro insists on saying he has won and does not want to understand that, for the international community, without verification, there is no assumption of results, Venezuela could enter a serious crisis – we are all trying to prevent this from happening,” said Borrell.

Machado plans to continue her efforts to unseat Maduro and prove that he lost. So, too, does Edmundo Gonzalez, the alleged true victor. He took to the social media platform X to express his support for the continued opposition to Maduro.

“They will not be able to cover up the reality of July 28: we won resoundingly,” Gonzalez posted.  

“Let the world and everyone in Venezuela recognize that the president-elect is Edmundo González,” Machado said during a demonstration in the country.