New protests erupt in Venezuela, anger grows over disputed election results

New protests have erupted in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, over the disputed results of the country’s presidential election.

Thousands of people gathered in the city center to protest President Nicolas Maduro’s claim of victory.

Many said they would not stop until a new government was in place, while some said this could not happen unless security forces joined opposition protesters.

But the military and police have so far remained loyal to President Maduro and have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some protesters.

Local officials said about 750 people were arrested. The country’s two main NGOs said several people were killed and dozens were injured.

On Tuesday, Venezuela’s defense minister described the protests as a “coup.”

Surrounded by armed soldiers, General Vladimir Padrino read out a statement saying President Nicolás Maduro had the military’s “absolute loyalty and unconditional support.”

Venezuela’s attorney general, a close ally of President Maduro, said one soldier was killed in anti-government protests.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado insisted the protests must be peaceful.

“We must proceed peacefully. We must not fall into the provocations that the government has imposed on us. They want to pit Venezuelans against each other,” she said.

“Our candidate won 70% of the vote. We united the country, and Venezuelans who once trusted Maduro are with us today.”

One anti-government protester, who did not want to be named and feared a backlash from security forces, told the BBC he had seen evidence of election fraud.

“We are convinced that the election was stolen. I worked in the polling booth. The government refuses to acknowledge it, they stopped counting all votes in the middle of the night. They don’t want the world to know that they lost,” they said.

They said Venezuelans, known as Chavistas, who supported former leader Hugo Chavez, were now withdrawing their support for President Maduro.

“This is a very peaceful protest. This is an upper-class area of ​​Caracas. What we saw yesterday was very violent. I believe that people who were Chavistas before are no longer Chavistas,” they said.

“I think people are looking for change. It’s probably going to be violent.”

Protests erupted after the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), who is a member of Maduro’s party and served as his legal adviser, declared that the president would seek a third term.

The CNE earlier said Maduro had won with 51% of the vote, while Edmundo Gonzalez had 44%.

But the electoral commission has so far refused to release detailed vote counts, which the opposition claims shows the results announced by the CNE were fraudulent.

The Organization of American States (OAS), a regional body in the Americas, has accused the Venezuelan government of completely distorting the results.

The opposition coalition backing Mr Gonzalez said it had reviewed 73.2 per cent of the votes, confirming that Mr Gonzalez had won by a wide margin.

“We have a record that shows our sure and mathematically irreversible victories,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

But on Monday the CNE stepped up its offensive, announcing that all votes had been counted and that Mr Maduro was the winner.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Tarek Saab, a longtime ally of President Maduro, warned that those arrested would be charged with “resistance to power and, in the most serious cases, terrorism.”

The opposition Popular Will party said that among those detained was national political coordinator Freddy Superano.

The party warned that the government was stepping up its crackdown on activists demanding that polling station results be made public.

“We will fight. We will use the pressure of the streets to reverse what the president says, that is, to hold on to power,” said Julio Dervis, from Petare, one of the slums on the outskirts of the city.

“The police are our neighbors, we live side by side, and they need to understand that we must be united in the fight for the common good of all of us.”

Another protester, Karina Pinto, said the protest felt different from previous anti-government demonstrations.

“We have to take to the streets. That’s the only way. We don’t support violence, but violence is violent. We have to respond,” she said.

“The security forces must be on our side. They are Venezuelans too. They cannot fight against us. We are the people.”

In other parts of the city, groups supporting President Maduro also gathered to show their support for him.

“I don’t protest anything,” said Nancy Ramones, one of the president’s supporters. “I support my government, Nicolás Maduro, who won. And I support him because he represents peace.”

“What the opposition says has not been proven. If they say there was fraud, they have to prove it. There was no fraud. They always have hidden agendas.

“This is a coup that we will not allow. We are patriots. We are Venezuelans and we love peace.”

“The real winner here was Nicolás Maduro, and there are people who represent Nicolás Maduro. We want peace,” said Milagros Arrocha.

The opposition has backed Mr Gonzalez in an attempt to oust President Maduro, who has ruled for 11 years amid widespread discontent.

An estimated 7.8 million people have become refugees due to the economic and political crisis that has rocked the country under Maduro.

The UN human rights chief said he was deeply concerned about the rising tensions and violence in Venezuela. Volker Turk called on the authorities to respect the right of all Venezuelans to peacefully assemble and protest.