More than 1,200 people arrested during anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela

Tensions are growing in Venezuela after last Sunday’s elections and there are already more than 1200 people have been arrested This week during the protests against the official result of the presidential elections held in Venezuela on Sunday. This is what President Nicolás Maduro himself said, after being declared the winner of the elections by the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Monday, without all the votes being counted.

In a video spread on social networks Nicolás Maduro is seen ordering officials of the Bolivarian National Guard to intensify repression, while stating that the regime has already captured “1,200 criminals” who were “trained in Texas, Colombia, Peru and Chile.”

Following the elections in which Nicolás Maduro revalidated his mandate and amid accusations of “fraud” by the opposition, the streets of Venezuela began to fill this past Monday with groups of protesterswho came out to protest peacefully.

But as the day progressed, and after the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro as president without having published the electoral minutes As promised, the atmosphere became more tense, and the number of detainees given by Maduro already exceeds 1,200 people.

The Venezuelan president directly accuses the opposition of not accepting the results and of encourage criminal violence. Thus, yesterday he presented an electoral contentious appeal so that the Venezuelan Courts can determine whether there has been fraud.

Meanwhile, the opposition claims to have information on more than 80% of the votes, which – it insists – give González Urrutia the victory by a wide margin.

International pressure increases

The international tension continues over Maduro to publish the minutes of the electoral tables. Just yesterday, the Cartes Centerthe renowned organization that has participated among the international observers, has stated that it cannot verify the results.

And many governments around the world are demanding transparency from the Venezuelan president. The latest has been Lula Da Silva, president of Brazil. The governments of Colombia and Chile have also asked Maduro to publish the minutes.

And tension is also palpable on the streets. In Caracas, for example, many shops and businesses have closed and there are problems with public transport, following mass protests against the regime that have claimed the lives of at least 11 people.