Protests Erupt in Venezuela After Disputed Presidential Election Results

SEAToday.com, Caracas - Thousands of protesters took to the streets across the nation, including the capital, Caracas, on Monday (7/29) following official Venezuelan presidential election results declaring Nicolás Maduro as the winner.

Maduro considers the results a settled matter. However, opposition candidate Edmundo González stated they obtained more than 70 percent of tally sheets from Sunday’s election, which shows González ahead of Maduro.

“We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory,” he said.

The National Electoral Council said González garnered 44 percent of the vote while Maduro got 51 percent, securing him his third six-year term. However, the electoral body did not release the tallies from any machine, promising only to do so in the “coming hours”, hampering the ability to verify the results.

Several foreign governments, including the US and the EU, held off recognizing the results. A UN Secretary-General António Guterres spokesman also said the chief called “for complete transparency” regarding the results.