Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have taken to the streets in an attempt to revive protests against him as he tightens his grip on power following last month's disputed election. The demonstration in the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday came one month after the fraught July 28 vote in which Maduro was declared the winner despite the protests of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and international condemnation that the vote lacked transparency.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who along with Gonzalez went into hiding following the election, re-emerged to attend Wednesday's rally, waving a Venezuelan flag and hugging small children from the back of a truck as supporters shouted Freedom. Acknowledging the steep challenge of forcing Maduro from power, Machado said the movement she leads will be strategic about calling for additional demonstrations. But she said the international pressure on Maduro is unlikely to cease any time soon.
Those who say the passage of time favours Maduro are wrong, Machado said to throngs of supporters who filled an avenue in Caracas. Every day he's more isolated, more toxic. Opposition figure Biaggio Pilieri was arrested after Wednesday's protest, the Reuters news agency reported. In weeks of demonstrations, the opposition's rallying cry has been constant but so far ineffective in removing Maduro from power.
Opponents have demanded that officials publish results from each polling station that they say would expose Maduro's attempts to steal the election. Wednesday's protest was smaller than previous demonstrations, indicating the difficulties faced by opposition figures trying to mobilise the populace against Maduro's regime.
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