Anika Begay
Thousands of Venezuelans marched across the South American country on Saturday to protest the disputed election, as President Nicolas Maduro told supporters that around 2,000 people had been arrested during protests against the results.
Venezuela’s electoral authority, criticized by critics for favoring the ruling socialists, declared Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s vote, saying Monday that he had won 51 percent compared to 46 percent for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. The authority reiterated a similar margin on Friday.
The published election results sparked widespread allegations of fraud and protests. Security forces later cracked down on protests that Maduro’s government labeled as part of a U.S.-backed coup attempt.
“This time there will be no forgiveness,” Maduro told supporters at a rally in Caracas, where he said about 2,000 people had been arrested in connection with “crimes” during the protests. He promised “the maximum punishment.”
Maduro supporters said they were defending democracy.
“Today we are here to respond to the call of our president… to defend democracy,” Alfredo Valera, president of the Venezuelan labor union Fontur, who took part in a pro-government caravan in Caracas, told state television.
Elsewhere, opposition supporters marched to demand justice, encouraged by the presence of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who came out on Saturday to join her demonstrations on the streets of Caracas.
“Just as it took a long time to achieve electoral victory, now comes a phase that we face day by day, but we have never been as strong as today, never,” Machado told supporters in Caracas.
Supporters were happy to see Machado in the square after the leader said in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that she was in hiding and feared for her life.
In addition to Caracas, demonstrations also took place in other cities, including Valencia, Maracaibo and San Cristobal.
“I don’t deny that it’s a little scary to see the security forces pass by,” said vendor Maria Luzardo, 46, in San Cristobal. “If (Machado) is brave enough to go out into the streets despite the threats, we are brave enough. Venezuela is calling us.”
So far, at least 20 people have been killed in post-election protests, according to advocacy groups including the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. About 1,200 others have been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, according to the government.
Over the course of the week, several Venezuelans showed up at police stations to ask for news of their detained relatives.
The Organization of American States has called for peace in Venezuela ahead of planned demonstrations.
“Today we urgently demand that there be no more political prisoners, no more tortured, no more disappeared, no more murdered,” said the OAS, which this week called the election results unreliable.
Nations including the United States and Argentina have already recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the election, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing “overwhelming evidence” on Thursday. Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay also concluded on Friday that Gonzalez received the most votes.
Others, including Russia, China and Cuba, congratulated Maduro.
