The Venezuelan military and police forces on Tuesday reaffirmed their loyalty to President Nicolás Maduro, as the electoral authority in the capital Caracas said it had presented official election results to the country’s top court after days of delays.
Crisis-hit Venezuela has been rocked by renewed instability in recent weeks after Maduro was declared the winner of heavily contested presidential elections on July 28.
In the latest developments from Caracas, a joint statement from the Defence Ministry and Interior Ministry said the country’s security forces have again reaffirmed their “absolute loyalty to the citizen Nicolás Maduro.”
The statement came in response to an open letter by opposition leader María Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo González which called on soldiers and police officers to take the side of the people and stop following the instructions of the incumbent government.
“We urge you to prevent the regime from unleashing its rampage against the people and to respect, and ensure that others respect, the results of the July 28 elections,” they said.
Machado and González also said that Maduro “carried out a coup d’état that contradicts the constitutional order and wants to make you his accomplices.”
Venezuela’s public prosecutors subsequently opened an investigation into the pair, accusing them of forming a criminal organization, conspiracy, usurpation of office and incitement to insurrection.
In the meantime, Machado encouraged her supporters to stay strong.
“Nobody said it would be easy, but the world needs to realize that there is no turning back,” Machado said in an audio message published on social media. “Fear will not paralyze us and we will not leave the streets.”
Machado also emphasized the importance of taking a break to prepare for the next phase of the power struggle.
“An operational pause is sometimes necessary to ensure that all the elements of the strategy are aligned and ready for action.”
According to non-governmental organization Foro Penal, at least 11 people died and hundreds were detained in demonstrations since the election.
The opposition has repeatedly accused the government of electoral fraud, with the US and half a dozen Latin American countries recognizing González as the winner.
Electoral authority delivers official results
In further news, Venezuela’s electoral authority has presented official election results to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the country’s top court.
The court, which is seen as loyal to Maduro’s authoritarian government, said late on Monday that it had received the detailed election reports from the National Electoral Council (CNE).
It had previously given the CNE three days from Friday to hand over the documents, which reportedly include full results from individual voting districts and evidence of a cyberattack on the CNE, which the body’s president Elvis Amoroso called a “terrorist” incident that delayed the transmission of official data.
The CNE has drawn heavy criticism since the election after refusing to publish official election results. Its website has also been down since the vote.
