News Desk

The Advocate Post: Venezuela’s opposition coalition has called for global protests on August 17 to support their claim of winning the presidential election. While President Nicolás Maduro was declared the victor by the government-controlled electoral commission, securing a third consecutive term, the opposition contends that their candidate, Edmundo González, was the true winner.

They have demanded the release of detailed polling station data from the commission. The European Union and the US have supported this demand, while several Latin American countries have yet to recognize Maduro’s victory from last month’s election.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado urged Venezuelans to “take to the streets” worldwide on Saturday, August 17, to support her party’s victory claim. She called for a global outcry to affirm their win and uphold popular sovereignty. Following the July 28 election, the opposition released data online, asserting that Mr. González won by a significant margin.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken backed this claim, citing “overwhelming evidence” that Edmundo González received the most votes. Meanwhile, the Maduro government maintains that only the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which it controls, are legitimate. Maduro has promised to release the vote counts but has not provided a timeline.

He accused the opposition of fabricating evidence to challenge the election results and claimed that the US was orchestrating a farce and an attempted coup. Mr. González, who took over as the opposition candidate from Ms. Machado after her running ban, also urged for both national and global protests to support “the truth.

Both Ms. Machado and Mr. González have been in hiding; Ms. Machado wrote in the Wall Street Journal about her fears for her “life” and “freedom.” The government has called for Ms. Machado’s arrest.

https://theadvocatepost.org/blog/2024/08/05/mali-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-ukraine-over-attack-involvement/