Caracas [Venezuela], August 13: Venezuela's opposition coalition has called for protests to be held worldwide on August 17 in support of its claim to have won the country's presidential election.
President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner by the government-controlled electoral commission, which handed him a third consecutive term in office. The opposition says its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, was the real winner, and has called for the commission to release detailed data from polling stations.
This call has been backed by the European Union and the US while a number of other Latin American nations have so far held off recognising Maduro as the winner of last month's poll.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado posted a video on social media in which she said Venezuelans should "take to the streets" worldwide on Saturday, August 17 in support of her party's claim of victory.
"Let's shout together for the world to support our victory and recognize truth and popular sovereignty", she said on Sunday.
The opposition published a data set online shortly after the July 28 election which it says proves Gonzalez won by a wide margin. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was "overwhelming evidence" that Edmundo Gonzalez had won the most votes.
The Maduro government, however, insists that the result announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which is stacked with its allies, is the only valid one.
Maduro has said he will publish the vote tallies, but has not specified when. He accused the opposition of producing fake evidence to contest the result of the election and said the US was behind what he described as a farce and a coup attempt.
Gonzalez, who replaced Machado as the opposition's candidate after she was banned from running, also called for national and worldwide protests in support of "the truth".
Both have been in hiding - Machado wrote in the Wall Street Journal that she is fearing for her "life" and "freedom".
Source: Qatar Tribune