Venezuela's Maduro says coup d'état attempted after his re-election
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Maria Corina Machado, a well-known opposition figure in Venezuela, is charged by the country's attorney general with involvement in an attempted hack of the electoral process.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared on Monday that there was an attempt "to impose in Venezuela a coup d'etat," following the opposition's rejection of his reelection for a six-year term.
“Defeating fascism and its demons is a historic feat and our people have done it! Once again, our people have done it!” President Maduro said after officially receiving the credential that will allow him to govern the country until 2031.
“Peace and unity in Venezuela are irreversible,” he emphasized, denouncing the Venezuelan far-right attempt at a "fascist coup" to ignore the results of the elections.
At an event at the National Electoral Council (CNE), declaring him the winner of the elections, Maduro said, "They are trying to impose in Venezuela a coup d'etat again of fascist and counterrevolutionary character."
The Bolivarian leader also stressed that those US-backed politicians who question the 2024 elections are the same ones who led violent groups that sought to sow chaos and violence on previous occasions.
“Today, they are rehearsing the first steps to destabilize Venezuela and impose a cloak of harm and aggression. However, I tell those who support the operation against democracy that we already know such a movie. And this time there will be no weakness whatsoever,” Maduro pointed out.
Maria Corina Machado, a well-known opposition figure in Venezuela, was charged by the country's attorney general Tarek William Saab on Monday with involvement in an attempted hack of the electoral process, which came after she rejected Maduro's win.
Machado announced on Monday that the opposition views Edmundo Gonzalez, the main rival to President Nicolas Maduro, as the winner of Sunday's presidential election.
Machado said, "I would like to tell all Venezuelans and the world that Venezuela has the next president, and it is Edmundo Gonzalez... All of the world knows that. We won in all of the country's states."
Elvis Amoroso, chairman of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, declared Maduro the winner of the election from 2025-2031, citing that he secured 51.2% of the vote with 80% of the ballots counted.
Leopoldo Lopez and Machado are two opposition personalities among those who are "involved", according to Saab, who told the media that his office had opened an inquiry into the purported cyberattack and that activist Lester Toledo was the major suspect.
This comes the same day as Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvan Gil praised Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Syria for their congratulations.
“On behalf of the Venezuelan people and President Nicolas Maduro, we want to express our gratitude to the Bolivian President Luis Arce for his heartfelt congratulations following Sunday’s victory,” Gil said, reiterating the commitment to continue strengthening friendship and cooperation ties.
Gil also thanked Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who said Maduro’s victory reaffirms the “sovereignty and historical legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez.”
He then blasted the existence of an effort by foreign intervention to undermine the legitimacy of Sunday's presidential election.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces and alerts the world about an intervention operation against the electoral process, our right to self-determination, and the sovereignty of our homeland, orchestrated by a group of governments and foreign powers,” he stated.
“This group is a version of the infamous, defunct, and defeated Lima Group. It includes officials from Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic, as well as a group of far-right political hitmen specialized in destabilizing governments in Latin America, such as Ivan Duque, Mauricio Macri, Andres Pastrana, Oscar Arias, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott,” the Venezuelan diplomat added.
