Source: Anti-Maduro Protests Spread Over Contested Venezuelan Election | Newsmax.com
Protests spread around Venezuela and police fired tear gas in the capital Caracas as the opposition said it had voting-tally proof it won a weekend election awarded to long-ruling socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
Demonstrations began after the election board, which critics say is in the pocket of a dictatorial government, declared Monday that Maduro had won a third term with 51% of the vote, extending his “Chavista” movement’s quarter-century rule.
But the opposition said the 73% of vote tallies to which it has access showed its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had won by a landslide, with more than twice as many votes as Maduro.
Many Venezuelans staged “cacerolazos,” a traditional Latin American protest where people bang pots and pans in anger.
Some blocked roads, lit fires and threw petrol bombs at police as protests proliferated around the nation, including near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.
“We are tired of this government, we want a change. We want to be free in Venezuela. We want our families to return here,” said one masked protester, referring to the exodus of about a third of Venezuelans in recent years.
Police with shields and batons in Caracas and the city of Maracay fired tear gas to disperse some protests.
Many demonstrators rode motorbikes and jammed streets or draped themselves in the Venezuelan flag. Some covered their faces with scarves as protection against tear gas.
The government calls them violent agitators.
抗议活动在委内瑞拉各地蔓延，警方在首都加拉加斯发射催泪瓦斯。反对派表示，他们有投票计票证明，他们赢得了被长期执政的社会主义总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗窃取的周末选举。 选举委员会周一宣布马杜罗以 51% 的选票赢得第三个任期，延续了他的“查韦斯主义”运动长达四分之一个世纪的统治，随后示威活动开始。批评者称选举委员会掌握在独裁政府手中。 反对派表示，其掌握的73%的选票显示，其候选人埃德蒙多·冈萨雷斯以压倒性优势获胜，得票数是马杜罗的两倍多。 许多委内瑞拉人举行了“卡塞罗拉”活动，这是一种传统的拉丁美洲抗议活动，人们愤怒地敲打锅碗瓢盆。 随着抗议活动在全国各地蔓延，包括加拉加斯米拉弗洛雷斯总统府附近，一些人封锁道路、纵火并向警察投掷汽油弹。 一名蒙面抗议者说：“我们厌倦了这个政府，我们想要改变。我们希望在委内瑞拉获得自由。我们希望我们的家人回到这里。”他指的是近年来约三分之一的委内瑞拉人外逃。 加拉加斯和马拉凯市手持盾牌和警棍的警察发射催泪瓦斯驱散一些抗议活动。 许多示威者骑着摩托车挤满街道，或者自己披着委内瑞拉国旗。有些人用围巾遮住脸，以防催泪瓦斯。 政府称他们为暴力煽动者。
