Civil Unrest In Venezuela

There are clashes between citizens and the police, protesters demolish monuments to the dictator.

After Venezuela's central election commission declared incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the election on Monday night, thousands of his opponents took to the streets of Caracas and other cities of the country to protest. Clashes with the police and military began.

“At first, they hit pots and pans, protesting against the fact that President Maduro declared himself the winner. Then the tension began to rise," BBC correspondent Ione Wells from Caracas reports. "Thousands of protesters are marching — some for many kilometers — to the center and to the presidential palace. Cars, tires and garbage are burned on the streets. Clashes between protesters and armed police began."

The police and military, who blocked the streets around the presidential palace, began to shoot at the protesters with plastic bullets and tear gas grenades.

Demonstrators respond with stones and bottles of flammable mixture.

Protesters chant 'Freedom!' and 'This power will fall!', the portraits of Maduro hung on the walls and pillars are torn down and burned, the monuments to the dictator are demolished."

The BBC correspondent reports that a left-wing paramilitary organization, whose members are called "collectives" participates in the clashes, defending the power of Maduro, together with the police and the military.

The National Electoral Council, controlled by Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, announced on Sunday that the incumbent president had won 51.2% of the vote, and the candidate from the united opposition, Edmundo Gonzalez, 44%.

Independent exit polls showed that about 65% voted for Gonzalez, and from 14% to 31% voted for Maduro.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters on Monday that the recount, which is being conducted independently by the opposition, shows a confident victory for Gonzalez. According to her, Gonzalez got 6.27 million votes, and Maduro — only 2.75 million.

Machado said that the opposition has copies of 73% of protocols from polling stations.

According to AFP, opposition leaders did not call for street protests — they broke out spontaneously.

Как отмечает агентство AFP, лидеры оппозиции не призывали к уличным протестам — они вспыхнули стихийно.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com