Venezuela's Opposition Candidate to Maduro: No, You Lost

Edmundo Gonzalez says he has proof he won, plans peaceful protest for Tuesday morning
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 30, 2024 2:30 AM CDT
Updated Jul 30, 2024 3:37 AM CDT
Venezuelans Walk Miles to Presidential Palace in Protest
A protester raises his arms in front of tires on fire in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the presidential election.   (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Thousands of Venezuelans angry about Sunday's presidential election marched to the country's presidential palace to protest the official results, which declared President Nicolás Maduro had been reelected despite the opposition also declaring a landslide win. The opposition claims fraud by Maduro's side—the National Electoral Council is stacked with his allies, and the country's military supports him. Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets on the protesters, some of whom had walked for miles to the capital in Caracas, the BBC reports. More of the latest:

  • Protests were also reported in other Venezuelan cities, CNN reports. In one coastal state, a statue of Maduro was toppled. The outlet has more on the irregularities reported in the voting results here.

  • Foreign governments including the US, European Union nations, and Latin American countries are pressuring Venezuela to address the claims of fraud, the Wall Street Journal reports. Elon Musk is on the opposition's side as well, posting video of protesters toppling a Hugo Chavez statue to X. The Journal has more on the worldwide calls for transparency here.
  • Meanwhile, opposition candidate Edmundo González says his campaign has evidence he is the true winner of the election, the AP reports. "We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory," he said, calling for supporters to gather peacefully Tuesday at 11am local time to celebrate the results.
  • In the US, a woman was killed early Monday as a crowd gathered near a migrant shelter to await election results. Shooting broke out near the shelter; both the woman who was killed and another woman who was injured were believed to have been living there, the AP reports. The shooting does not appear to be related to the election, though; authorities say the gunman was apparently upset about a prior robbery.
(More Venezuela stories.)

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