On Friday there were masked attackers who went inside the headquarters of the opposition party in Venezuela. According to María Corina Machado’s opposition party, goons broke doors, took away documents and properties and defaced walls using black paint.
This comes after Machado was threatened by high-ranking officials including President Maduro himself who also stated that he will have her arrested; she is currently in hiding urging Venezuelans as well as the global society to contest the recent presidential elections’ outcomes.
The Biden administration openly supports opposing candidate Edmundo González and rejects the official results announced by Venezuela’s national electoral council. The US regarded González as a legitimate winner having been a last-minute alternative for Machado who was excluded from running. This announcement came after several governments among them some of Maduro’s regional allies demanded that precinct-level vote counts be released which has been customary.
In a press conference on Friday, Maduro refuted international involvement asking America not to meddle with Venezuela’s internal affairs. As of now, his whereabouts are unknown, but González thanked US for recognizing what Venezuelan wants and supporting democracy restoration.
However, those against the regime disclosed that they had access to over 80% of electronic machines voting tallies indicating that Gonzalez won by a large margin.
AP quoted Antony Blinken (US secretary of state) saying “Given the overwhelming evidence it is clear to us (and most importantly to Venezuelans) that Edmundo González Urrutia received more votes than any other candidate in Venezuela’s July 28th presidential election.”
He also alleged that members of opposition planned an attack on a Caracas neighbourhood-proof was presented through audio clips and chats on WhatsApp. Increased military presence in this area has been ordered by Maduro which may curtail opposition gatherings though it is unlikely he would stop government rallies scheduled elsewhere within the city.
However, Venezuelan authorities updated their vote count on Friday without publishing results at precinct level which critics had called for. According to National electoral council president Elvis Amoroso, with 96.9% of tally sheets counted, Maduro triumphed by over 8 percentage points. He attributed this delay in results to “massive attacks” on the electoral infrastructure.
Other countries like Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have also been making diplomatic attempts to get the situation resolved and they have called for an impartial audit of the vote. Meanwhile, Russian officials have also supported Maduro’s win accusing America of escalating conflict in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s ongoing turmoil has worsened economic conditions that were already dire characterised by hyperinflation and severe shortages. Re-imposing oil sanctions is under consideration by Biden administration if Maduro does not accept political transition.
As a result, there were many arrests of opposition supporters who took to the streets following Monday’s announcement of the election results. The Venezuelan government sought an audit into these election results from its highest court. Nonetheless critics claim that its lack of independence makes it untrustworthy.”
