Venezuela: At Least 11 Dead in Protests Over Maduro's Election Win

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Facts

  • At least 11 people have reportedly died amid protests against Venezuelan Pres. Nicolás Maduro's disputed election victory on Monday.[1]
  • This comes as hundreds took part in an anti-government march from Petare to Caracas while many others reached the capital city's international airport.[2]
  • Two statues of late socialist leader Hugo Chávez, who handpicked Maduro as his successor, were toppled, and in some areas, Maduro's posters were ripped down.[3]
  • Protests erupted after the National Election Council (CNE) declared Maduro president-elect with 51% of the vote despite exit polls pointing to a conclusive win for opposition candidate Edmundo González.[4]
  • The country's attorney general has warned that protestors blocking roads or breaking any disturbance-related laws would be met with the full force of the law.[5]
  • Meanwhile, Venezuela has withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay and expelled their diplomats from its territory.[6]

Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]Bloomberg, [3]The Telegraph, [4]Reuters, [5]BBC News and [6]Últimas Noticias.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This mockery of an election has shown that all efforts to ensure a peaceful democratic transition for Venezuela were in vain because Maduro never really intended to carry out free and fair elections — let alone to leave power. González is the rightful president-elect, and the world's democracies must recognize that and pressure Maduro.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Peoplesdispatch. As expected, far-right mobs in Venezuela have turned back to street violence in yet another desperate, US-backed, undemocratic attempt to overthrow Maduro after losing the popular vote. It's no coincidence that a company closely linked to Washington and the opposition was responsible for exit polls suggesting outcomes far from the official results.

Predictions