Venezuela opposition calls for mass protests over disputed presidential election
- Maria Corina Machado said most opposition figures, including herself, were now in hiding
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called for protests “in every city” in the nation on Saturday to denounce the disputed re-election of President Nicolas Maduro.
The oil-rich Latin American nation was plunged into political crisis after Maduro was announced the victor of Sunday’s election – a result that defied pre-election polls and has drawn global criticism.
“We must remain firm, organised and mobilised with the pride of having achieved a historic victory on July 28, and the awareness that to claim victory we will also go all the way,” Machado said on social media.
Earlier Thursday, she wrote in the Wall Street Journal that she was in hiding and “fearing for my life” after Maduro’s contested victory, which led to hundreds of arrests following deadly protests this week.
Machado reiterated her claim that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was the rightful winner, saying he won “67 per cent to 30 per cent” based on tallies obtained from most of the nation’s polling stations.
