Venezuela was plunged into chaos after the suspicious presidential election on Sunday, with increasing international condemnation of President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro has blamed the unrest on a far-right conspiracy led by his political rivals, Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, whom he accused of attempting a criminal seizure of power.
Despite widespread anger over Venezuela’s economic collapse and migration crisis, Maduro claimed victory in the disputed election, sparking street protests and international criticism. The Carter Center criticized the lack of transparency in the vote, and the White House expressed concerns over the subversion of democratic norms.
The US assistant secretary of state urged Maduro to acknowledge González as the winner, while Colombia’s president acknowledged doubts over the election result. Maduro dismissed questioning of the election’s legitimacy, vowing to resist efforts to remove him from power, even if it meant resorting to force.
Maduro claimed the unrest was part of a global extreme-right movement, involving politicians like Argentina’s Javier Milei and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro. Despite facing increasing pressure from the international community and protests in the streets of Caracas, Maduro remains defiant in his stance, calling for justice against his political rivals.
The streets of Caracas were quiet amid the crackdown on post-election protests, with over 1,000 people detained and several deaths reported. Venezuela’s isolation from the world deepened as flights to Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Peru were suspended. Despite international recognition of González as the president-elect, Maduro vowed to prevent his rival from taking power. Venezuela’s political future remains uncertain in the face of ongoing turmoil and an economy in a death spiral.
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