Protests across Venezuela as election dispute continues

Opposition supporters have rallied across Venezuela to protest Nicolas Maduro’s disputed victory in last month’s presidential election.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado joined thousands of protesters in the capital Caracas and urged them not to be afraid.

Ms Machado, who went into hiding after being charged with sedition, said nothing was more important than the voice of the people and that the people had spoken.

Police and troops were deployed as supporters of Mr Maduro also held protests.

“We will not leave the streets,” Ms Machado told protesters, many of whom waved copies of election records from polling stations as proof of victory.

She has called for nationwide protests to increase pressure on Mr Maduro to make concessions.

Some protesters appeared determined to continue.

“This is a criminal government that wants to hold on to power. I smell freedom, I have nothing to fear,” Adriana Calzadilla, quoted by AFP news agency, said.

“I hope Maduro will admit his defeat and transfer power peacefully,” medical student Jose Berbin told Reuters.

“I think what’s going to happen is that dictatorship is going to get worse and worse, and we all need to unite against dictatorship and show that there are more good people.”

Mr Maduro insists he has won a third six-year term, but the opposition has released vote counts they say show their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won by a landslide.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, Mr Gonzalez said it was time for an “orderly transition”.

At his rival’s rally, Mr Maduro mocked Mr Gonzalez, saying he “lives in a cave”.

The electoral commission, controlled by Mr Maduro’s allies, has refused to release detailed results but declared him the winner with 52% of the vote, which independent observers say lacks transparency.

Since the election, anti-government protests have flared and hundreds of people have been arrested by security forces, who remain loyal to President Maduro.

According to the Venezuelan government, more than 2,400 people have been detained since July 29, the day the disputed election results were announced.

The United Nations condemns the fact that street protests and social media criticism have has faced “violent repression” by the state.

Similar protests have been held in cities around the world, from Australia to Spain and also in the UK, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina.

The European Union, the United States and several Latin American countries have refused to recognize the results.