Caracas, Venezuela —
Venezuelans around the world took to the streets on Saturday, answering a call from the country's opposition to defend what it claims as a victory over President Nicolas Maduro in last month's presidential election.
The demonstrations in Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City and several other cities were part of an attempt by the main opposition coalition to visually demonstrate what they claim are the true results of the election.
They also called on governments to endorse candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and show support for Venezuelans who are afraid to speak out against President Maduro and his allies in their home country amid a brutal campaign of repression.
As thousands of Venezuelans waved flags in Caracas, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado rode in a truck through the capital's streets, chanting “bravery” and “freedom,” and told the crowd that this was a moment when “every vote counts.”
“Let the world and all Venezuelans recognize that the next president is Edmundo Gonzalez,” she said to cheers.
Earlier, opposition candidate Gonzalez posted on his X account, “They will not be able to hide the reality of July 28. We won a resounding victory.” He did not take part in the Caracas demonstrations.
Gonzalez, a former diplomat, and Machado, who is barred by the government from running for office, had been in hiding, fearing they would be arrested or killed, and Maduro and his top officials have threatened to jail them both.
At the Revolution Monument in downtown Mexico City, hundreds of people chanted “Freedom! Freedom!”, a chant often heard at pre-election opposition rallies. “Maduro out! Maduro out!” they chanted as passing motorists honked their horns.
“What's happening now is that Venezuela has woken up. The government doesn't have the courage to make the tally public,” Antonia Invernon said, referring to the voting results documents that are seen as the ultimate proof of the results. “What are they afraid of?”
Venezuela's National Electoral Council, made up of members loyal to the ruling party, declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election just hours after polls closed. Unlike previous presidential elections, the electoral council has not released detailed voting data in tabulations to back up its claim that Maduro received 6.4 million votes to 5.3 million for González, who represents the Unity Platform opposition coalition.
Messrs. Gonzalez and Machado shocked Venezuelans by revealing that they had obtained more than 80 percent of the vote tally printed by electronic voting machines after the polls had closed. The documents, which they said showed Gonzalez had won by a landslide, had been uploaded to a website for anyone to see.
Machado urged his supporters to print out tally sheets from polling stations and bring them to Saturday's demonstrations. In Mexico City, some held signs denouncing the Mexican government's decision not to attend Friday's Organization of American States hearing focused on Venezuela's electoral crisis.
“Sorry we didn't see you in OEA, Mexico,” one sign read in Spanish, using the initials of the local organization.
“The ridicule is even worse this time because the evidence is there and everyone can see it,” Jeanette Hurtado, 57, who left Venezuela two years ago, said of the tally.
Furtado said she realized arrests related to election protests in Venezuela made people afraid to speak out against President Nicolas Maduro, and she has friends who haven't texted her since.
Security forces have arrested more than 2,000 people for protesting against Maduro or casting doubt on his claim to a third term, and 24 more have been killed, according to Venezuela-based human rights group Provea.
The detentions, which Maduro himself urged, are unprecedented and put Venezuela on track to jail well over the number of people it has jailed in its three previous crackdowns on Maduro's opponents.
The arrests included journalists, political leaders, campaign staff and lawyers representing protesters. Some had their Venezuelan passports revoked as they tried to leave the country. One activist live-streamed his arrest as military intelligence agents with crowbars broke into his home.
“It breaks my heart to see what's happening,” said Furtado's daughter, Veronica Guedes, 19. “We are here as brothers and sisters to support us.”
The opposition was dealt a blow on Thursday when Brazil and Colombia, which had been pressuring Maduro to release results to back up their claimed victory, began proposing a rerun of the election, but Machado rejected any plans, saying a rerun would be an “insult” to the people.
Associated Press writer Rueda reported from Caracas and Garcia Cano from Mexico City.
