Re-election of Nicolas Maduro: contested vote, more than ten deaths, demonstrations… an update on the situation in Venezuela

Protests continued Tuesday in Venezuela against the results of the presidential election, which gave a third term to incumbent socialist President Nicolas Maduro, while the international community is concerned about the integrity of the vote.

The protests, which the government denounces as an attempted “coup d'état”, began Monday after the National Electoral Commission (CNE) declared that Nicolas Maduro had won the election with 51% of the vote, paving the way for a third term that would extend the socialists' quarter-century of power.

11 dead

The opposition, which considers the CNE to be controlled by the government, said that 90% of the votes it had access to showed that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won twice as many votes as Nicolas Maduro. At least 11 people have been killed in Venezuela during vote counting or protests since Sunday's election, according to the human rights group Foro Penal.

The Carter Center, one of the few independent observers of the election, said in a statement Tuesday night that the vote “did not meet international standards for electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic”. The electoral authority's failure to release disaggregated results constitutes a “grave violation”, it added, describing what it considered a deeply flawed process from start to finish.

Many countries have called on Venezuela to make the vote count public, and sources say Washington is considering new sanctions against individuals linked to the election. The European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said on Wednesday that Brussels could not recognize the result until all the votes had been counted.

Josep Borrell highlighted the fact that the CNE had announced the results of the vote based on 80% of the votes counted, while the Venezuelan opposition published very different results. “This is another reason not to recognize the results until they have been fully and independently verified,”, he told reporters during a visit to Vietnam.

Many countries have called on Venezuela to release the vote count, and U.S. sources say Washington is considering new sanctions against individuals linked to the election. The Venezuelan opposition has long denounced obstacles to candidate registration, the detention of opposition members, and the confusing presentation of ballots.

The Carter Center also echoed these criticisms in its statement. “Authorities have often attempted to limit opposition campaign activities, including by harassing or intimidating those who provide services or goods to the opposition’s main campaign,”, he said. The NGO added that voters have faced short registration deadlines and that most of Venezuela’s vast diaspora have been arbitrarily disenfranchised.

“Reply, cowards!”

Nicolas Maduro and his allies on Tuesday accused Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado of fomenting unrest. In a televised speech, Nicolas Maduro said opposition protesters had beaten civilians and started fires. “Respond, cowards”, he cried after considering that Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado should be held responsible.

Costa Rica said it was willing to offer political asylum to Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, who thanked the Costa Rican government for its offer in a message published on the social network X, indicating however that his priority was to “continue the fight” from Venezuela. In some places, Reuters witnesses saw protesters attacked by security forces and many shops remained closed.

At pro-Maduro rallies also on Tuesday, protesters insisted the election was over. “We are here to peacefully support an election that has already given its result”, said Carmen Torres, a 36-year-old teacher, adding that despite some doubts, she preferred Nicolas Maduro to a “neoliberal” government.