Venezuelan protesters hold rallies amid ongoing post-election turmoil

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) — Opposition protesters took to the streets in Venezuela's capital Caracas and other cities around the world Saturday to protest the results of the country's July 28 polls that saw the reelection of President Nicolas Maduro.

Demonstrations were called in more than 350 cities, including Buenos Aires, Bogota, Mexico City, Madrid, Paris, Sydney, and Tokyo.

The opposition in the South American country is pushing for the government to name presidential challenger Edmundo Gonzalez the victor of the election, which the nation's electoral authority granted Maduro.

Thousands of protesters in Caracas showed up with printed voting tallies, which they say prove Gonzalez's victory, chanting, "We are not scared" and "Freedom for Venezuela."

In Caracas, the protests were led by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who addressed crowds of demonstrators from a truck that carried her and other opposition figures.

"We will not leave the streets. The time has come to collect, every vote must be respected," she said.

The country's capital was heavily guarded by police and military personnel throughout the protests.

Venezuela's electoral authority declared Maduro the winner of the election with 52% of the vote, while the opposition says its own count shows Gonzalez receiving 67%.

In a video posted on X, Gonzalez asked Venezuelans abroad to be "the voice of millions" of "those who are being silenced" with "persecutions, imprisonments, murders and censorship," so that "the cry for change in peace travels throughout the entire world."

Maduro took aim at Gonzalez's absence during an event he led on Saturday afternoon, just hours after the opposition called for the rally. During the event, the president criticized his political rival, who went into hiding amid threats of arrest.

"Where is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia hiding? Why doesn't he show his face? Isn't it that he won? Did he win?" asked Maduro. "Could it be that he won a raffle to hide in a cave?"

At least 25 people have died in the protests that began after the election, with nearly 200 injured and more than 2,400 arrested.

Many countries have urged full publication of the election results.