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dpatopbilder - One person is reported to have died during protests against the election results in Venezuela. Photo: Matias Delacroix/AP
Keystone
According to a non-governmental organization, at least one person has died in protests against the election results in Venezuela. In addition, 46 people were arrested in various cities and states of the South American country, the NGO Foro Penal announced on the X platform. The death occurred in the state of Yaracuay, further details were not initially known. Local media reported at least two deaths.
The National Electoral Council has officially declared Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the presidential election. According to the results, the left-wing head of state received 51.2 percent of the vote on Sunday, while the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia received 44.2 percent. The opposition does not recognize the official result and speaks of electoral fraud.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado told media representatives on Monday that the government opponents had access to 73 percent of the results lists, which showed that the challenger had an unassailable lead. González had won in all federal states and received over 6.2 million votes, while Maduro only received 2.7 million. The US government and a number of Latin American countries also expressed doubts about the official election results. Maduro would begin his third six-year term in January 2025.
Sometimes violent clashes - further protests announced
Protests broke out across the country after the controversial election, with sometimes violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Television footage showed police officers using tear gas and occasionally hitting people. Shots were also fired at demonstrators marching towards the presidential palace in the capital Caracas, as reported by the newspaper "El Nacional" and seen in a video.
The shooters could be so-called colectivos - pro-government paramilitary groups that use violence to enforce the government's agenda. The video shows police officers failing to intervene to prevent an attack on the demonstrators.
The opposition has called for a major demonstration against the government today. The government camp also wants to bring its supporters onto the streets.
Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions. More than 80 percent of the population live below the poverty line. According to UN figures, over seven million people - around a quarter of the population - have left the oil-rich country in recent years due to poverty and violence.
30.07.2024, 07:53
