'Venezuela will be free': anti-Maduro protests roil Caracas

Opponents of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro took to the streets in their thousands Thursday in a last-ditch protest against his swearing-in for a third six-year term as president.

After a July election that many believe was stolen, opposition supporters gathered in the capital Caracas, and towns and cities nationwide, to denounce what some called a  "dictatorship."

"Get out and leave the country in peace" read one Caracas protestor's placard.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has vowed to come out of hiding to lead the protests, called for Venezuelans to turn out in their "millions."

But there was no sign of the huge crowds that attended opposition rallies before July's election, with some people saying they feared bloodshed.

Maduro's supporters are holding a rival demonstration in Caracas, setting the stage for a possible repeat of July's post-election violence, which saw 28 killed, hundreds wounded and thousands jailed.

The violence erupted after Maduro controversially claimed victory, without providing proof of his win, triggering mass protests.

The opposition published its own tally of results from polling stations, which it said showed its candidate Edmundo González Urrutia winning by a landslide.

The opposition saw the election as a chance to end a quarter century of military-backed rule that began with Maduro's late mentor Hugo Chávez.

"We will see each other very soon in Caracas, in freedom," González Urrutia told his countrymen Thursday in an address from the Dominican Republic, where he wrapped up a diplomatic tour aimed at pressuring Maduro to step aside.

Over the past week, the former diplomat has toured Argentina, Uruguay, the United States and Panama in search of international support.

Maduro has, however, swatted away the pressure and warned that "fascists" who try to prevent his inauguration will be severely dealt with by the security forces.

State institutions such as the electoral council, the Supreme Court and the country's military – all led by his allies – have stood by him throughout.  

In the Caracas district of Chacao, a large crowd of demonstrators, many waving Venezuelan flags, defied the threats with chants of "Freedom" and "Edmundo, our president, here are your people." 

Seventy-year-old Rafael Castillo said he would risk his safety to see Maduro ousted.

"I will leave my skin on the asphalt for my children, but it will be worth it because Venezuela will be free," he told AFP.

 

US denies coup plot

In the run-up to his inauguration Maduro has accused the United States – long opposed to his rule – of plotting to overthrow him.

The United States and several Latin American countries have recognised González Urrutia as the legitimate election winner.

Maduro's election victory claim was accepted by a handful of countries, including perennial Venezuela allies Russia and Cuba.

The Venezuelan leader claimed that among a group of seven "mercenaries" arrested this week, one was a senior FBI official.

The US State Department replied that allegations of Washington's involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro were "categorically false."

Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013 and despite a sustained economic crisis that has seen seven million citizens leave the country, he has shown no intention of relinquishing power.

Pro-government militiamen paraded in Caracas this week brandishing Russian-made assault rifles and thousands of pro-Maduro bikers roared around the capital.

Ahead of the protests, several activists and opposition figures were reportedly arrested, including Enrique Marquez, a press freedom activist and a politician who ran against Maduro in July.

 

Writing on X, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said he was "deeply concerned" at reports of "arbitrary detentions and intimidation."

Turk highlighted the arrest of the Espacio Publico press freedom NGO's director Carlos Correa, as well as "opposition members and their relatives."

Espacio Publico said Correa was detained in central Caracas by "hooded men presumed to be officials."

González Urrutia said this week that his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was kidnapped when he was taking his children to school.

After Maduro claimed election victory in July's election, more than 2,400 people were arrested, while 28 were killed and about 200 injured in protests and riots. 

 

'Wanted'

González Urrutia this week met outgoing US President Joe Biden as well as members of president-elect Donald Trump's team.

He had at one point suggested he might fly back to Caracas to try to take power.

But in a sign of the fate that awaits him if he does, "Wanted" posters offering a US$100,000 government reward for his capture were pasted on street signs around the capital.

With neither the charisma nor the flush oil revenues of his mentor Chávez, Maduro is accused of relying on brute force to hold on to power and of driving the economy into the ground.

The last presidential election in 2018 was also marred by fraud allegations.

Attempts by Trump to force Maduro out during his first term as US president by recognising a parallel opposition-led government and imposing sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector came to naught.