Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (R) talks to the media, accompanied by opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia (L), following the presidential election results in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 29, 2024. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said on July 29 that his coalition has enough evidence to prove that he defeated incumbent President Nicolas Maduro in the country’s disputed presidential election.
His remarks came as thousands of Venezuelan people took to the streets to protest the election results announced by the country’s electoral authority, which declared Mr. Maduro the winner with 51 percent of the vote and stated that Mr. Gonzalez received 44 percent.
“We have in our hands the records that demonstrate our historic, categorical, and mathematically irreversible triumph,” Mr. Gonzalez said at a press conference alongside opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Ms. Machado said they have obtained more than 70 percent of the tallies, which show that Mr. Gonzalez won more than 6.2 million votes and Mr. Maduro got more than 2.7 million.
“Here you will find the results that we have processed and totaled up to this moment, and that confirm our extraordinary triumph,” Ms. Machado wrote in a July 30 post on social media platform X, sharing a link to a database of results. As of publication time, the link was inaccessible.
Protests have erupted in several Venezuelan cities, with demonstrators tearing down Mr. Maduro’s posters and toppling statues of the late President Hugo Chavez, whom Mr. Maduro succeeded in 2013, according to local media.
PROVEA, a Venezuelan human rights organization, stated on X that pro-Maduro armed groups fired shots at peaceful protesters in Caracas on Tuesday. Police also fired teargas to disperse protesters.
At least one person has died in Yaracuy and 46 protesters have been arrested following the protests as of July 29, according to human rights group Foro Penal. The Epoch Times was unable to independently verify the claims.
Mr. Maduro said on Monday that the country’s electoral system had been targeted by a failed “massive hack” from a foreign actor, but he did not provide any details to support this claim.
He described his reelection as a triumph of peace and said he would sign a decree to hold a “great national dialogue.” Mr. Maduro first took office in 2013 after Mr. Chavez died from cancer.
Other Countries Cast Doubts
Several nations have expressed doubts about the legitimacy of Venezuela’s election results. The European Union’s high representative Josep Borrell said the election results have not been verified.
Mr. Borrell urged the Venezuelan Electoral Council to exercise “maximum transparency” in the process of results tabulation, including granting immediate access to the voting records from each polling station.
“Credible reports from domestic and international observers indicate that the elections were marred by numerous flaws and irregularities,” Mr. Borrell said in a statement.
“Obstacles to the participation of opposition candidates, deficiencies in the voter registry, and imbalanced media access contributed to unequal electoral conditions.”
A protester throws back a tear gas canister as Venezuelan opposition supporters protest the country's disputed presidential election results, in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 29, 2024. (Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)
Canada, along with 11 Latin American countries, issued a joint statement on Venezuela, saying they will not recognize the National Constituent Assembly or the laws it adopts because of its “illegitimacy.”
These countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.
U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said the United States has “serious concerns” that the announced election result does not reflect the will of the people.
Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech following the presidential election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s critical that every vote is counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and electoral observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish detailed tabulation of votes,” Mr. Blinken said at a press conference in Tokyo.
Mr. Blinken said the international community will be watching the situation in Venezuela “very closely” and will “respond accordingly.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.
