Venezuelan opposition parties and their supporters were holding protests around the country on Thursday in an 11th-hour effort to put pressure on president Nicolás Maduro, one day before he is due to be sworn in for his third six-year term.
The opposition and the ruling party are locked in an ongoing dispute over last year’s presidential election, which they both claim to have won.
The country’s electoral authority and top court say Mr Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, won the July vote, though they have never published detailed tallies.
The government, which has accused the opposition of fomenting fascist plots against it, said it will arrest opposition leader Edmundo González should he return to the country and has detained prominent opposition members and activists in the lead-up to the inauguration.
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The opposition says Mr González (75) won in a landslide. It has published its own vote tallies as evidence, winning support from governments around the world, including the United States, which considers Mr González the president-elect.
María Corina Machado, the country’s most popular opposition leader, who was barred from running in 2024, had pledged to join the protesters on Thursday. Her appearance would mark her first public outing since she went into hiding in August.
Ms Machado (57) has urged protesters to peacefully flood the streets and repeatedly asked members of the police and military – who guarded polling stations during the election – to back Mr González’s victory.
“I’m not afraid, I lost my fear a long time ago,” said 70-year-old Niegalos Payares, a retired worker at the central bank, as she gathered with other opposition supporters in western Caracas.
“We don’t know how many of them have their heart on our side,” she added, gesturing at security forces nearby.
Mr Maduro (62) has been in power since 2013. He has the vociferous support of leaders in the armed forces and the intelligence services, which are run by close allies of powerful interior minister Diosdado Cabello.
“I am convinced nothing will happen,” Mr Cabello said on state television on Monday. “But that doesn’t mean we will lower our guard.” – Reuters