Funchal: Dozens Protest The Elections In Venezuela

Dozens of Venezuelans and supporters took to the streets in Funchal on Monday to protest the re-election of Nicolás Maduro as President of Venezuela. Maduro claims 51% of the votes in Sunday's election, a result recognized by the National Electoral Council, a state body. However, the outcome is being heavily contested by the country's opposition, civil society, and international organizations.

Support For Maduro From Dictators Around The World

All kinds of authoritarian regimes and countries with appalling democratic index scores, such as Russia, Nicaragua, Cuba, China, and Iran, have congratulated Maduro on his victory. However, democratic nations such as Portugal, Spain, and the United States have expressed serious concerns about the election's transparency.

They can steal 1%, they can steal 2%, but they cannot steal 40, 50, 60%. Edmundo won and won by a large margin.

Henrique Vieira, organizer of “For Democracy in Venezuela” - JN.pt

Calls for Transparency and Fair Elections

According to JN.pt Henrique Vieira, one of the organizers of the "For Democracy in Venezuela" protest in Funchal, voiced the demonstrators' frustration. "They can steal 1%, they can steal 2%, but they cannot steal 40, 50, 60%. Edmundo (González Urrutia) won and won by a large margin," he declared. Protesters waved Venezuelan flags and chanted slogans such as "freedom," "free Venezuela," and "Edmundo president."

Calls For The International Community To Reject The Election Results

Vieira further on emphasized the need for international leaders to reject the election results until a transparent recount is conducted. He praised the Portuguese government's call for an impartial review of the election outcome but criticized countries like Russia, China, and Brazil for accepting the results without question. "If there are doubts, there is only one way to resolve them: count the votes one by one," he insisted.

count the votes one by one!

Henrique Vieira - JN.pt

Local Election Results and Support for Opposition

Again, as reported by JN.pt, addressing the crowd in Spanish, Vieira presented the election results from Madeira, based on data from opposition representatives. At the two polling stations in the Venezuelan Consulate in Funchal, opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 252 votes, while Maduro garnered only 20. "Nicolás Maduro did not win the election. Edmundo is the president," asserted Lídia Albornoz, another organizer of the protest. She also condemned the Venezuelan government for human rights violations and called for Maduro's imprisonment.

“Maduro’s Declaration Of Victory Isn’t Fooling Anyone”

Prior to the election, Maduro said he would stay in power “by any means necessary” - he did exactly this. The election was rife with voter suppression tactics. For instance, on Saturday, Venezuela closed its border with Colombia to prevent many of the 2.8 million Venezuelans who had fled the regime and now live there from returning home to exercise their civic rights.

By law, parties are allowed to send observers to the vote count at each polling station to ensure the tallies square with the results announced by the national electoral council. But the opposition says its witnesses were only allowed to collect tallies at 30% of voting centres, and these results showed a clear opposition victory.

Theconversation.com

Protests Have Errupted In Venezuela

Venezuela The Country With The Largest Oil Reserves Worldwide

Venezuela, home to the world's largest proven oil reserves, grapples with severe economic turmoil and widespread poverty. Despite its vast oil wealth, mismanagement, corruption, and political instability have crippled the nation's economy. Basic necessities like food, medicine, and clean water are scarce, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Hyperinflation has rendered the local currency nearly worthless, pushing millions into extreme poverty. Social services have collapsed, and public infrastructure is in disrepair.