Security forces in Venezuela have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at people protesting Sunday’s disputed election result.
Thousands of people descended on central Caracas on Monday evening, some walking for miles from slums on the mountains surrounding the city, towards the presidential palace. Protests erupted in the Venezuelan capital the day after President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory.
The opposition has disputed Mr. Maduro’s declaration as fraudulent, saying its candidate Edmundo González won convincingly with 73.2% of the vote. Opinion polls ahead of the election suggested a clear victory for the challenger. Opposition parties had united behind Mr. González in an attempt to unseat President Maduro after 11 years in power, amid widespread discontent over the country’s economic crisis.
A heavy military and police presence was on the streets of Caracas with the aim of trying to disperse protesters and prevent them from approaching the presidential palace. Crowds of people chanted “freedom, freedom!” and called for the government to fall.
Footage showed tires burning on highways and large numbers of people on the streets, with police on motorbikes firing tear gas. In some areas, posters of President Maduro were ripped down and burned while tear gas and rubber bullets were also set alight. Armed police, military, and left-wing paramilitaries who are sympathetic to the government clashed with protesters and blocked off many roads around the city center.
The government also announced a temporary suspension of commercial flights to and from Venezuela with Panama and the Dominican Republic starting from 20:00 local time on Wednesday.
In an address on state television, Mr. Maduro said it is his “obligation to protect the peace.”
BBC
