The opposition, which is contesting Maduro's re-election, held protests on Saturday. Nineteen people have been killed and many more arrested at rallies.
Marie Delcas, 4 JUL 2024
Relatives of those arrested during protests against the results of Venezuela's presidential election wait for news of their loved ones outside a police headquarters in Caracas, 1 AUG 2024. Alexandre Meneghini/ Reuters
Nicolas Maduro doesn't mince his words or his threats. "I'm going to put them all in high-security prisons so that they pay for their crime, all of them!" said the Venezuelan president on Thursday, August 1. His re-election on July 28 was deemed fraudulent by the opposition. The crowd gathered outside the presidential palace applauded. "We've captured 1,200 of them, we're going to capture 1,000 more," said Maduro. Throughout the country, spontaneous protests and sporadic violence followed the proclamation of his victory.
Nineteen protesters – and one National Guard soldier – have been killed, according to the human rights organization Provea. Their families did not receive condolences from the president, who instead promised to punish the "criminals who destroyed hospitals, bus stations, police stations and Socialist Party offices." And 27 statues of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
Maduro never leaves the small screen. For the past five days, the president has been giving a series of speeches, all broadcast live. In front of his ministers, the crowds and the press, he castigates the opposition as putschists, fascists, criminals and even "Nazis."
Enabling anonymous condemnations
With opposition leader Maria Corina Machado calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets mid-morning on Saturday, August 3, "to peacefully defend their vote," the head of state urged his compatriots not to be manipulated. He cautioned that the police had intercepted communications indicating a planned attack. Supporters of the president will also be marching in the capital in the early afternoon.
"I'd like to go to the opposition demonstration, but I'm afraid," sighs Ariadna, a dance instructor. She lives in a modest neighborhood "where there are still Chavistas who vote for Nicolas Maduro" and prefers not to give her last name.
"Denounce the criminals!" This order came from Mr. Maduro, who, from the presidential balcony on Friday, called on his compatriots to use the VenApp app. Originally launched in 2022 to improve the delivery of public services, particularly water and electricity, VenApp has since been reprogrammed to enable anonymous reports against "enemies of the people." During a press conference on Friday evening, the president claimed to have received over 5,000 denunciations.
Indictments for Terrorism
Far from the presidential palace, in the Boleita district of Caracas, a small, anxious crowd gathers outside the Zona 7 detention center of the Bolivarian National Police. The sun beats down mercilessly, and the few spots of shade offer refuge for the elderly. Here, no one wants to reveal their real name or that of their son or daughter, husband, or nephew detained on the other side of the gray wall. Luisa, 42, slept on the sidewalk, hoping for news of her 18-year-old daughter, who was arrested on Monday evening at the end of a demonstration. "She managed to call me very briefly from a borrowed phone. She was crying and begging me to get her out of there," says Luisa. Her daughter, a saleswoman in a clothing store, had never been involved in politics. On Sunday, she voted for the first time in her life.
A tearful woman shakes her head, indicating she doesn't want to say anything. "How can you not die of anguish when you hear Maduro say he's going to let them all rot in jail?" her neighbor explains. Mauricio fears that his nephew, arrested as he was leaving the garage where he works, will be transferred and incarcerated at the Yare 3 prison, south of Caracas, "with real criminals."
Within three days of their arrest, the defendants must be brought before an examining magistrate, who can order their detention for forty-five days before eventually charging them. According to Mr. Alvarado, "in four days, more than 500 people have been charged with terrorism in Caracas, an unprecedented number." Nicolas Maduro is hated here.
Radicalization of the Discourse
On Friday, five days after the vote, the National Electoral Council (CNE), claiming to have been the victim of an "unprecedented cyber attack," issued its second bulletin, based on a 97% vote count. Unsurprisingly, the results confirmed Nicolas Maduro's victory with 51.95% over the united opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, who garnered 43.18%. The vote count minutes requested by the opposition and observers have yet to be published.
The previous day, Washington announced that the opposition—asserting Mr. Gonzalez had won 67% of the vote compared to Mr. Maduro's 30%—had provided "irrefutable proof" of fraud. "The United States thinks it is the electoral authority of Venezuela and the entire world," retorted Nicolas Maduro, denouncing a coup d'état led by "the USA, the international far-right, and savage capitalism." Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of Network X, and Zionism are also among his alleged opponents.
"Nicolas Maduro is radicalizing his discourse on the enemies of the revolution," explains Manuel Azuaje, a professor of philosophy at the Central University of Venezuela. "It shifts the debate."
© 2024 Le Monde.