Protesters in Venezuela once again took to the streets of the nation’s capital of Caracas on Wednesday to demonstrate against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. It marked the latest efforts of Maduro’s political opponents, who claimed that candidate Edmundo González was the true winner of the nation’s recent presidential election. Wednesday’s protest comes exactly one month after the controversial election, and members of the opposition group are trying to keep alive any hope of overturning Maduro’s supposed win.
González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have participated in numerous demonstrations since July 28, trying to bring attention to what they claim was a stolen election. Machado, González, and the entire opposition group have presented evidence that seems to show Maduro losing by a significant margin, the Associated Press reported. This has helped bring widespread international condemnation, including a statement by the U.S. State Department that was signed by 21 other countries. None of it has helped remove Maduro from power, however.
Given the strength of Maduro’s authoritarian regime in Venezuela, Machado and González were forced to go into hiding after July 28 amid concerns for their safety, according to the Associated Press. Both have selectively come out of hiding to participate in demonstrations against the election results, including Wednesday’s protest.
“Those who say the passage of time favors Maduro are wrong,” Machado said during the rally. Throughout the protest, she was transported in a truck with a speaker sound system connected to it. “Every day he’s more isolated, more toxic.”
According to reports, Machado spoke in front of numerous supporters who crowded the streets and chanted “freedom.”
In response to the demonstrations by the opposition group, Maduro and his supporters announced they would also hold rallies on Wednesday, defending the Venezuelan president and his claims to victory. Maduro’s supporters claimed that he was the rightful winner and that the opposition group are merely dissidents seeking to cause chaos and civil unrest in the country all because the election results didn’t go their way, the Associated Press reported.
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Additionally, Maduro has sought to reinforce his power and claims to the presidency by using national security forces to protect him. On Tuesday, he appointed Diosdado Cabello as the country’s new interior minister, according to the Associated Press. Cabello is known as a “hard-line ruling party boss” who has promised strict rule and a dedication to showing “no mercy” to Maduro’s dissidents.
Maduro’s authoritarianism presents a difficult challenge for Machado to continue her fight and opposition, a political reality she acknowledged. Nevertheless, Machado vowed to continue her efforts, hoping that in some way, a combination of civil unrest in the country and continued international denouncements and condemnations would eventually prove fruitful for her cause and lead to Maduro’s removal.