There will be no forgiveness

CARACAS:

Thousands of Venezuelans marched through the South American country on Saturday during the disputed elections, while President Nicolás Maduro told his supporters that around 2,000 people had been arrested during protests against the results.

Venezuela’s electoral authority, criticized by critics for favoring socialists in power, proclaimed Maduro the winner in last Sunday’s vote, saying on Monday that he polled 51% compared to 46% for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. The authority reaffirmed a similar margin on Friday.

The published election result sparked widespread allegations of fraud and protests. Security forces later cracked down on protests that Maduro’s government called part of a U.S.-backed coup attempt.

“This time there will be no forgiveness,” Maduro told his supporters at a rally in Caracas, where he said around 2,000 people had been detained in connection with “crimes” during the protests. He promised “maximum punishment”.

Maduro’s supporters said they were defending democracy.

“Today we are here responding to our president’s call… to defend democracy,” Alfredo Valera, president of the Venezuelan union Fontur, who participated in a pro-government caravan in Caracas, told state television.

Elsewhere, opposition supporters marched to demand justice, driven by the presence of leader Maria Corina Machado, who came out of hiding on Saturday to join their demonstrations on the streets of Caracas.

“Just as it took us a long time to achieve electoral victory, now comes a stage that we take day by day, but we have never been as strong as today, never,” Machado told supporters in Caracas.

Supporters were happy to see Machado on the streets after the leader said in a Thursday Wall Street Journal article that she was in hiding and feared for her life.

In addition to Caracas, demonstrations took place in cities such as Valencia, Maracaibo and San Cristobal.

“I can’t deny that it’s a little scary to see the security forces pass by,” said saleswoman Maria Luzardo, 46, in San Cristobal. “If (Machado) is brave enough to be on the streets despite the threats, so are we. Venezuela is calling us.”

So far, at least 20 people have been killed in post-election protests, according to advocacy groups including US-based Human Rights Watch. About 1,200 other people were arrested in connection with the demonstrations, according to the government.

During the week, some Venezuelans appeared in front of police stations looking for news about their detained family members.

The Organization of American States called for peace in Venezuela ahead of planned demonstrations.

“Today we ask that there be no more political prisoners, no more tortured people, no more missing people, no more murdered people,” said the OAS, which this week classified the election results as unreliable.

Nations including the US and Argentina have already recognized Gonzalez as the election winner, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday citing “overwhelming evidence”. Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay also concluded on Friday that Gonzalez received the most votes.

Others, including Russia, China and Cuba, congratulated Maduro.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)