Venezuelan protests intensify; Chavez statues torn down

Even as authorities attempted to suppress protests in Venezuela against the disputed re-election of leftist Nicolás Maduro, while international calls for greater transparency in the vote count grow, At least four statues of the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez have been torn down by protesters.

The protests that broke out in several regions of the country in rejection of the results of Sunday’s elections took place as the National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Nicolás Maduro, in power since 2013, as president.

Videos circulated on social media showing protesters shouting slogans against Maduro, while they closed avenues and burned tires in popular sectors that had traditionally been electoral bastions of the ruling party.

Meanwhile, videos have been circulating on social media, some shared by opposition parties and politicians, showing protesters knocking down these statues in the states of La Guaira, Falcón, Carabobo and Guárico.

As seen in the images, The protesters destroyed these symbols of Chavismo, shouting “and it will fall,” in reference to the government of this political party established in the country since 1999.

In a televised address, Maduro referred to these events and said that these were “criminal groups” that “attacked” the “best president Venezuela has had in 150 years.”

He said that the authorities are “monitoring the acts of violence promoted by extremist violence,” blaming the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which claims to have won the elections with more than six million votes – not recognized by the CNE – for its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.

For its part, Anti-Chavez leader Maria Corina Machado said that the majority opposition has 73% of the votes cast in this Sunday’s presidential electionswhich gives González Urrutia the victory with an “overwhelming” difference.

However, the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially proclaimed Maduro president, after which protests intensified in Caracas and in several regions of the country.

Given the situation, Several leaders of the international community expressed their doubts regarding the results and requested verification of the votes and transparency of the electoral process, as is the case of the governments of Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, Costa Rica and the United States, among others.

Despite this, countries such as China, Russia and Nicaragua congratulated Maduro on his victory.

Keep reading:

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• 4 profound changes in Venezuela since Nicolás Maduro took power 11 years ago