6 killed, hundreds arrested in anti-government protests after Maduro wins third term in Venezuela

​​​​​​​By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - At least six people have been killed and more than 700 arrested as protests erupted in Venezuelan cities after President Nicolas Maduro was declared winner of the presidential election by the government-controlled electoral authority.

Opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez are leading thousands of protesters who are gathered on Francisco de Miranda Avenue in front of UN headquarters and marching to the National Electoral Council to demand that the government recognizes Gonzalez as the winner of the elections.

The opposition said at a news conference that, according to the 73% of the vote tallied, which it had access to, Gonzalez won by a large majority.

"Unfortunately, in the last few hours, we have reports of people dead, dozens of wounded and detained. We urge the security forces to respect the will expressed on July 28 and stop the repression of peaceful demonstrations. Venezuelans want peace and respect for the popular will. The truth is the path to peace," Gonzalez wrote on X.

Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, described the protests as "a coup."

Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported Tuesday that at least two security officials had been killed and 48 police and military officers had been injured.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has accused Venezuelan authorities of trying to "distort the electoral result" through the "most aberrant manipulation" of a process that had "no guarantees."

“The worst form of repression, the most vile, is to prevent the people from making solutions through elections. The obligation of each institution in Venezuela should be to ensure the freedom, justice and transparency of the electoral process,” it said in a statement.

The Permanent Council of the OAS will hold a meeting Wednesday to address the situation in Venezuela.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also expressed concern about fighting between protesters and security forces.

Following Maduro’s disputed victory, the government received international scrutiny about the lack of legitimacy of the results.

At least nine countries have registered their protests against the results and withdrew diplomats from Caracas, including Panama, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru and Uruguay.

The Venezuelan government has suspended commercial flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic.

According to Maduro’s government, the flight ban is a “rejection of the interference of right-wing governments.”

All Venezuelan flights to and from Panama and the Dominican Republic will stop from 8 p.m. local time on July 31.