Protesters rally in Venezuela’s capital as post-election crisis persists

Opposition protesters are taking to the streets of Venezuela’s capital once more to denounce the results of a recent election that saw President Nicolas Maduro secure another term in power.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged her supporters “to remain firm and united” in a social media post on Saturday, shortly after she called for people to demonstrate in hundreds of cities across the country and abroad.

“They’re trying to scare us, to divide us, to paralyse us, to demoralise us, but they can’t because they are absolutely entrenched in their lies [and] violence,” Machado said.

The South American nation has seen weeks of unrest following the July 28 election, which opposition leaders said was marred by fraud.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) formally declared Maduro the vote winner, saying in early August that he had secured 52 percent support compared with 43 percent for main opposition challenger Edmundo Gonzalez.

However, the opposition has said its tally of the votes showed Gonzalez had defeated the incumbent, spurring international calls for Maduro’s government to release the full breakdown of votes.

At least 25 people have been killed in post-election protests so far, with nearly 200 injured and more than 2,400 arrested — and the continued crisis has fuelled concerns that the Venezuelan authorities could launch a wider crackdown on opposition leaders and protesters.

Reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said the Venezuelan opposition is arguing that the results amount to a “massive fraud”.

“The opposition have asked people to gather with their families at protests, saying Venezuelans should remain united despite what is happening in the country. They have also asked people to go with Venezuela flags and tally sheets — the centre of the dispute,” Bo said.

“Until now, the Venezuelan government has been unable to provide proof of the election results,” she added. “The government is saying that the system was hacked and that’s why the results have not been provided.”

Machado, who had her presidential candidacy blocked by institutions loyal to Maduro, is expected to take part in the march in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday.

A heavy security presence was deployed in the city before the start of the rally.

Access to the vast Petare neighbourhood, a few kilometres from the opposition’s announced gathering point, was controlled by two National Guard armoured vehicles and backed by about 40 motorcycle-mounted troops.

Local media reported similar deployments in other key areas.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government also had urged its supporters to take to the streets later in the day.

Maduro, who came to power in 2013 following the death of his mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez, has presided over an economic collapse that has pushed millions of people to leave Venezuela over the past years.

In the aftermath of July’s election, he accused his political opponents of trying to carry out a “coup d’etat”. He also has called for the arrests of Machado and Gonzalez.

“Maduro says there is a plan by the opposition to get him out of office,” Al Jazeera’s Bo reported on Saturday, noting that the Venezuelan leader has accused the United States of being involved, as well.

But Maduro continues to face both domestic and international pressure to provide a full accounting of the vote.

Last week, Colombia and Brazil called for new elections in Venezuela, but Machado — the opposition leader — said this would show “a lack of respect” for the popular will already expressed on July 28.

On Friday, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, traditionally a left-wing ally of Maduro, took a harsh tone, describing the regime in Caracas as “very unpleasant” as he insisted it release a detailed vote breakdown.

In a radio interview, Lula declined to label the Maduro government a dictatorship, but said it had an “authoritarian bias”.

The Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution in Washington on Friday urging Caracas to “expeditiously publish the presidential election records, including the voting results at the level of each polling station”.

In a joint statement that same day, the European Union and 22 other countries also called for an “impartial verification” of the election outcome.

Meanwhile, protests also broke out in other countries around the world to show support for the Venezuelan opposition.

Australia held one of the first demonstrations on Saturday, where more than 100 Venezuelans rallied in Sydney, waving national flags.

“This is a strong message to our people in Venezuela. We are with you, and we want the world to listen to what we are saying,” protest organiser Rina Rivas told the AFP news agency. Members of the Venezuelan community also rallied in Melbourne.