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protest activityarrests, recalls of diplomats, warnings and condemnations the day after he declared victory. Nicolas Maduro In the Venezuelan presidential election, the Organization of American States (OAK) announced that it could not recognize the election results and convened an emergency meeting.
While Maduro himself has called his victory “irreversible,” there have been widespread calls for greater transparency from international organizations and entities, as well as foreign leaders and the opposition.
Clashes between protesters and security forces broke out across the country — 180 demonstrations took place in 20 of 23 states — and arrests and at least two deaths followed.
In Coro, the capital of Falcon state, protesters toppled a statue of Maduro’s mentor Hugo Chavez. In Caracas, riot police intervened against protesters who threw rocks and used tear gas in the Chacao neighborhood.
The election watchdog group OAK said in a report that the events of election night confirmed “a coordinated strategy that has unfolded over the past few months to undermine the integrity of the electoral process.” It also included reports of illegal and fraudulent activities that occurred during specific elections.
According to the group, there is evidence that the regime is trying to ignore the majority will expressed by millions of Venezuelan citizens in the vote. The meeting is scheduled to take place tonight in Washington at the request of 12 member states.
Protest Sign
Venezuela’s government announced it would withdraw its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries in protest against what it called “interference” in the country’s internal affairs after those countries challenged President Maduro’s re-election in Sunday’s election.
Caracas considers the stance of the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay to undermine Venezuela’s “national sovereignty” and has demanded that its diplomats leave its territory.
Six opposition figures close to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, accused of conspiracy, turned themselves in at the Argentine embassy in March. Yesterday, the opposition party Voludad People announced the arrest of its national coordinator, Freddy Superlano.
The most arbitrary election
Independent observers said the results were the most arbitrary even by the standards of Mr. Chavez’s dictatorship, dashing opposition hopes of ending a quarter-century of rule by him and his followers, a period marked by severe economic turmoil.
As the U.S. presidential campaign enters its final stretch, concerns are growing about a new wave of refugees from Venezuela, illegal border crossings have increased under President Joe Biden’s term and former President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans have become a central issue.
The European Union is calling for greater transparency in determining who is the legitimate winner of Venezuela’s presidential election on Sunday, but considers it “premature” to impose new sanctions at this stage, stressing the need to find a way out of the political crisis.
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