MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelans stage ecumenic protest against elections dubious results

Machado took center stage as González Urrutia did not participate in Saturday's protests

Supporters of Venezuela's opposition Unitarian Democratic Platform (PUD) took to the streets of Caracas and of numerous other cities worldwide Saturday to insist that their candidate Edmundo González Urrutia needs to be recognized as the winner of the July 28 polls instead of the incumbent Nicolás Maduro, whom the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced as victor despite never producing the minutes to back up such a statement.

In the main event in the South American country's capital, disenfranchised opposition leader María Corina Machado spoke from the top of a truck before thousands of her followers after around two weeks in hiding fearing for her “freedom and life.” She dubbed the event “the greatest civic gesture in the history” and insisted González Urrutia had “swept” the presidential elections.

“They thought that, at the point of persecution against our witnesses, we were not going to get our records and in 24 hours we had the records digitized,” Machado argued. She also noted that González Urrutia had won with 67% of the vote and warned that “we are not going to leave the streets.”

Machado took center stage as González Urrutia did not participate in Saturday's protests.

The largest demonstration outside Venezuela was reported to have taken place in Madrid at the iconic Puerta del Sol, where opposition leaders in exile such as Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma supported “the epic battle” against Maduro's regime. Other marches were replicated in Paris, Rome, London, and Brussels, just to name a few European capitals.

Similar movements took place in Colombia's main cities. The South American country is the main destination of the Venezuelan diaspora.

The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) also staged its own marches “celebrating the victory of President Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections, rejecting fascism and defending the peace of the country.” In his speech on Saturday afternoon, Maduro claimed that “we won again because peace triumphed.”

Maduro also blamed González Urrutia and Machado for the deaths and the “criminal violence” and “destruction” of public places, schools, and other sites.

“They thought that with the influencers, from Miami, they were going to mobilize people in the streets. I tell them: They failed!” he added. “Where is Edmundo González Urrutia? Come out of your cave and show your face,” he also challenged the opposition's main candidate.

On Sunday, González Urrutia said that neither “brute force” nor “hateful language” would stop a peaceful transition despite the arrest of more than 2,400 demonstrators after July 28 in addition to 25 casualties.

“Despite threats and repression, Venezuelans are demanding respect for their will. Brute force and hateful language will not stop our decision to initiate a peaceful transition,” the former diplomat wrote on X. He also valued Saturday's demonstrations. “To all Venezuelans who mobilized in every neighborhood, hamlet, and city raising their voices, I send my message and my word of encouragement. Only together are we going to achieve that the will expressed by more than 7 million people on July 28 be respected,” he underlined.