CARACAS: Venezuela braced for fresh protests on Saturday, after President Nicolas Maduro's disputed election victory was ratified – and a growing number of nations recognized his opposition rival as the true winner.
Both Maduro and the opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and her presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, have called on their supporters to demonstrate this weekend, in the wake of Sunday's controversial vote.
The South American country's CNE, which is loyal to Maduro, declared him the winner on Friday with 52 percent of the vote, saying Gonzalez Urrutia had received 43 percent.
But Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay recognized opposition Gonzalez Urrutia as the true president-elect, joining the United States and Peru in rejecting the official results.
For his part, the 61-year-old Maduro – who has reacted strongly to criticism of his victory – described the vote-rigging allegations as a “trap” orchestrated by Washington to justify “a coup”.
He has also threatened Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia, saying they “should be behind bars.”
Maduro has led the oil-rich, cash-strapped country since 2013, with an 80 percent GDP decline that prompted more than seven million of once-wealthy Venezuela's 30 million citizens to emigrate.
Experts blame economic mismanagement and US sanctions for the collapse.
Gonzalez Urrutia did not show up for a Supreme Court hearing after Maduro requested the tribunal to investigate and certify the election results.
However, other opposition candidates called to the hearing demanded that a detailed vote tally be made public after Sunday's vote, which was held amid widespread fears that the vote would be rigged.
Voting records “are fundamental to transparency, they are fundamental to peace,” said Enrique Marquez, who is also running against Maduro as part of a smaller opposition group.
The opposition this week launched a website with copies of 84 percent of the votes, showing an easy win for Gonzalez Urrutia. The government claims that these are forged.
Machado, who was barred from leading herself, wrote in The Wall Street Journal that she was hiding and “fearing for my life” along with other opposition leaders.
She called on supporters to gather on Saturday in cities across the country to “ensure the truth” of the opposition's victory.
“We have the evidence and the world already recognizes it,” Machado wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Maduro has called for daily mobilization, with “the mother of all marches to celebrate the victory of peace” on Saturday.
He accused the opposition of planning attacks on security forces during their demonstrations.
The NGO Foro Penal reported 11 dead in protests on Monday and Tuesday as angry Venezuelans took to the streets saying their votes had been stolen. Machado said at least 20 people had been killed.
Authorities said more than 1,000 people were arrested in post-election protests.
That crackdown has raised fears among opposition supporters.
“We have dead, wounded, prisoners, missing persons… People know that. They are scared. They know they will face armed people,” said Katiusca Camargo, an activist in the Petare slum in eastern Caracas.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday there was “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez Urrutia had won the election.
Blinken spoke with Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia on Friday, expressing “his concern for their safety and well-being” and congratulating Gonzalez Urrutia “for receiving the most votes,” the State Department said.
In a joint statement, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico called for an “impartial verification” of the results, and also called on Caracas to publish voting data broken down by polling station.
Maduro's previous re-election, in 2018, was rejected by dozens of Latin American countries as well as the US and EU member states.
He enjoys the loyalty of the military leadership, electoral bodies, courts and other government institutions, as well as support from Russia, China and Cuba.
