Venezuelan opposition puts up peaceful resistance

Venezuelan opposition puts up peaceful resistance | Daily Tribune

CARACAS (AFP) — A young violinist accompanied thousands of opposition supporters belting out the Venezuelan national anthem Tuesday at a rally in Caracas, in a peaceful, but firm, rejection of an election victory claimed by strongman Nicolas Maduro.

Many in the crowd wore white — the favorite color of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado — or national football team shirts and caps.

A sea of yellow, blue and red Venezuelan flags also filled the avenue, some worn as capes.

"You can see it, you can feel it, Edmundo is president!" sang the crowd, a chant that rhymes in Spanish.

"Maduro dictator!" shouted some, as others recited: "No to fraud!" and "We are not afraid!"

The demonstrators were among millions of Venezuelans who reject the election win given to Maduro by the regime-aligned CNE electoral council but questioned internationally.

The opposition has cried foul, claiming the rightful winner is 74-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, himself reluctantly thrust to the top of the ticket after Machado was kicked out of the race by authorities.

Against a wall outside the United Nations offices looking out over the rally, a teenager, his face covered by a flag, banged together two pots, a symbol of protest in Latin America. Incessantly.

At his feet, a small sign read: "We have the evidence, Edmundo is president."

Another youngster skillfully climbed a tall tree to hang a giant Venezuelan flag. People down below applaud.

'We won!'

Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia arrived at the rally on top of the same open truck they had used on the campaign, as excited people pulled out their cellphones to capture the moment.

"I told you we were going to win and we won!" said Machado, as the crowd cheered.

The leadership have said they have the voting records to "prove" Gonzalez Urrutia's victory, and by a large margin.

The CNE had given 51 percent to Maduro, though it has not released a breakdown of the results.

Its website has been down since election day.

"We challenge the CNE to give us the tallies. What is the delay? What is the fear?" charged Machado.

"Results are not negotiated. The only thing we are willing to negotiate is a transition with guarantees for all."

'I have faith'

The authorities' response to the protests has been belligerent.

Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters Monday and a non-government organization said 11 people have been killed. Dozens more were injured.

On Tuesday, Maduro said the opposition would be held responsible for "criminal violence."

In a rambling speech, in which he railed against the United States, imperialism and fascism, Maduro said he had ordered a special deployment of the armed forces against opposition "comanditos" — volunteer organizing committees.

He claims they are financed by external forces to create chaos in Venezuela.

Gonzalez Urrutia, for his part, urged the armed forces Tuesday not to "repress" the will of the people, saying "there is no reason for so much persecution."

Monday's protests started in the poorest neighborhoods of the capital hardest hit by the economic crisis marked by a gross domestic product drop of 80 percent in 10 years, and the emigration of more than seven million Venezuelans.

"People are tired," said Thais Farais, a 31-year-old administrator from one such area who attended Tuesday's opposition rally.

"They stole the election, 100 percent," said another opposition supporter goer, 25-year-old Jonathan Rada.

"But I have faith that we will get through it."

As the demonstration drew to a close, attendees once more sang the national anthem. In one voice.

But as they left, groups were targeted by teargas, apparently randomly.