CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González announced Monday that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country's disputed election in which electoral authorities named President Nicolás Maduro the victor.
González and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sunday's election, and they show González with more than double Maduro’s votes. Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11 a.m. Tuesday to celebrate the results.
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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González announced Monday that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country's disputed election in which electoral authorities named President Nicolás Maduro the victor.
Protesters look after Shuamy Gomez, who was wounded during clashes with police, in demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A person stands above police as he joins protests against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Valencia, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Jacinto Oliveros)
A protester aims a weapon during clashes with police amid demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Members of the opposition, in the Argentine embassy, thank supporters protesting the official election results that declared President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, a day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro won reelection in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Opposition supporters protest the official election results outside the Argentine embassy, a day after the vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters smash an advertising board during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Consuelo Marquez holds a Venezuelan flag in front of police blocking demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters embrace while singing Venezuela's national anthem during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado join hands during a press conference the day after the election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A man carries a protester affected by tear gas thrown by police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in the Caria neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A protester steps on a campaign sign of President Nicolas Maduro during a march against hish being declared the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A man carries a protester affected by tear gas thrown by police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in the Caria neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrating against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection ride through tear gas fired by police the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A protester throws a gas canister back at police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Police aim at protesters demonstrating against the official election results after electoral authorities certified President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Police hurdle a gas canister at protesters demonstrating against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People protest the official results declaring President Nicolas Maduro was reelected, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents bang pots and pans to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Residents block a street to protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
National Guards work to disperse protesters the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents throw objects at National Guards as they protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents watch protesters face off with National Guards to protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives with his wife Cilia Flores for a ceremony where the National Electoral Council (CNE) certifies that he won the presidential election, at the CNE in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Residents try to block a street to protest the official results the day after the presidential election as National Guards work to remove them in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner, the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Residents bang pots to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters burn an election campaign poster of President Nicolas Maduro as they demonstrate against the official election results declaring him the winner the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A protester steps on a campaign sign of President Nicolas Maduro during a march against hish being declared the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, receives certification from the President of the National Electoral Council (CNE) Elvis Amoroso that he won the presidential election, at the CNE in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Defense Minister Padrino Lopez attends the ceremony certifying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the winner of the presidential election at the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters on motorcycles demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro won reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters march against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner, the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. The sign reads in Spanish "Until the end. No dictator." (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attends a ceremony at the National Electoral Council (CNE) that certifies him as the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People protest the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A resident bangs a pot to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Police and National Guards stand outside the National Election Council (CNE) the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
People walk along Sabana Grande Boulevard in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Commuters wait for a bus in the El Valle neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the morning after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Grocery store workers wait for their employer to open for business in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the morning after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuelans living in Mexico hold a Venezuelan flag outside their nation's embassy that has a polling station set up for the presidential election in Mexico City, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
An aerial view of the Guarataro neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 27, 2024. Voters head to the polls on July 28 to decide on whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro for a third term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez bang pots after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside the Andres Bello School voting center asking to know results after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Police patrol the streets during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Drones depict the image of President Nicolas Maduro over Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside his campaign headquarters after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro celebrate after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez embrace after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, right, and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A man crosses an avenue in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A Venezuelan holds a sign that reads in Spanish: "Barinas present. Edmundo President," during a gathering of Venezuelans in support of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on the day of the presidential election in Venezuela, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Members of the presidential guar line up to vote during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Voters line up during presidential elections at the Andres Bello School, the main voting center in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Military personnel help assist an elderly voter during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets a supporter as she arrives to vote during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Voters line up outside a polling station during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
The opposition's presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez flashes a victory sign as he arrives to vote in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Voters line up during presidential elections at a polling station in Petare neighborhood, Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado hugs supporters after voting in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A soldier guards the entrance of an open voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan citizens chant "Freedom!" as they wait for the results of their nation's presidential election in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)
President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores turn on their mobile phone flashlights after voting in the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Voters line up outside a polling station that reads in Spanish "Vote" during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Government supporters, left, face off with opposition backers outside a voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Police guard a voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside his campaign headquarters after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside the Andres Bello School voting center, asking for the results, after the polls closed for the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro celebrate after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, right, and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
“I speak to you with the calmness of the truth,” González said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in the capital, Caracas. “We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.”
Their announcement came after the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s ruling Unites Socialist Party of Venezuela, officially declared him the winner, handing him his third six-year term.
In the capital, the protests were mostly peaceful, but when dozens of riot gear-clad national police officers blocked the caravan, a brawl broke. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones and other objects at officers who had stationed themselves on a main avenue of an upper-class district.
A man fired a gun as the protesters moved through the city’s financial district. No one suffered a gunshot wound.
The demonstrations followed an election that was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule. The winner was to take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.
“We have never been moved by hatred. On the contrary, we have always been victims of the powerful,” Maduro said in a nationally televised ceremony. “An attempt is being made to impose a coup d’état in Venezuela again of a fascist and counterrevolutionary nature.”
“We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness,” he added, saying that Venezuela’s “law will be respected.”
Machado told reporters tally sheets show Maduro and Gonzalez received more than 2.7 million and roughly 6.2 million votes respectively.
“A free people is one that is respected, and we are going to fight for our freedom,” Gonzalez said. “Dear friends, I understand your indignation, but our response from the democratic sectors is of calmness and firmness.”
Venezuelans vote using electronic machines, which record votes and provide every voter a paper receipt that shows the candidate of their choice. Voters are supposed to deposit their receipt at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.
After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates’ names and the votes they received.
But the ruling party wields tight control over the voting system, both through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of longtime local party coordinators who get near unrestricted access to voting centers. Those coordinators, some of whom are responsible for handing out government benefits including subsidized food, have blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centers as allowed by law to witness the voting process, vote counting and, crucially, to obtain a copy of the machines’ final tally sheet.
Electoral authorities had not yet released the tally sheets for each of the 30,000 voting machines as of Monday evening. The electoral body’s website was down, and it remained unclear when the tallies would be available. The lack of tallies prompted an independent group of electoral observers and the European Union to publicly urge the entity to release them.
In the capital’s impoverished Petare neighborhood, people started walking and shouting against Maduro, and some masked young people tore down campaign posters of him hung on lampposts. Heavily armed security forces were standing just a few blocks away from the protest.
“He has to go. One way or another,” said María Arráez, a 27-year-old hairdresser, as she joined in the demonstration.
As the crowd marched through a different neighborhood, it was cheered on by retirees and office workers who banged on pots and recorded the protest in a show of support. There were some shouts of “freedom” and expletives directed at Maduro.
Several foreign governments, including the U.S. and the EU, held off recognizing the election results.
After failing to oust Maduro during three rounds of demonstrations since 2014, the opposition put its faith in the ballot box.
The country sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves and once boasted Latin America’s most advanced economy. But after Maduro took the helm, it tumbled into a free fall marked by plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages of basic goods and hyperinflation of 130,000%.
U.S. oil sanctions sought to force Maduro from power after his 2018 reelection, which dozens of countries condemned as illegitimate. But the sanctions only accelerated the exodus of some 7.7 million Venezuelans who have fled their crisis-stricken nation.
Voters lined up as early as Saturday evening to cast ballots, boosting the opposition’s hopes it was about to break Maduro’s grip on power. The electoral council's results came as a shock to many who had celebrated, online and outside a few voting centers, what they believed was a landslide victory for González.
Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile, called the results “difficult to believe,” while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had “serious concerns” that the announced tally did not reflect the actual votes or the will of the people.
In response to criticism from other governments, Maduro’s foreign affairs ministry announced it would recall its diplomatic personnel from seven countries in the Americas, including Panama, Argentina and Chile. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked the governments of those countries to do the same with their personnel in Venezuela.
He did not explain what would happen to the staff of Machado's, including her campaign manager, who have sheltered for months in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas after authorities issued arrest warrants against them.
González was the unlikeliest of opposition standard bearers. The 74-year-old was unknown until he was tapped in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled supreme court from running for any office for 15 years.
Authorities set Sunday’s election to coincide with what would have been the 70th birthday of former President Hugo Chávez, the revered leftist firebrand who died of cancer in 2013, leaving his Bolivarian revolution in the hands of Maduro. But Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which controls all branches of government, are more unpopular than ever among many voters who blame his policies for crushingly low wages that spurred hunger, crippled the oil industry and separated families due to migration.
The president’s pitch this election was one of economic security, which he tried to sell with stories of entrepreneurship and references to a stable currency exchange and lower inflation rates. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the economy will grow 4% this year — one of the fastest in Latin America — after shrinking 71% from 2012 to 2020.
But most Venezuelans have not seen any improvement in their quality of life. Many earn under $200 a month, which means families struggle to afford essential items. Some work second and third jobs. A basket of food staples to feed a family of four for a month costs an estimated $385.
The opposition managed to line up behind a single candidate after years of intraparty divisions and election boycotts that torpedoed their ambitions to topple the ruling party.
A former lawmaker, Machado swept the opposition’s October primary with over 90% of the vote. After she was blocked from joining the presidential race, she chose a college professor as her substitute on the ballot, but the National Electoral Council also barred her from registering. That’s when González, a political newcomer, was chosen.
González and Machado focused much of their campaigning on Venezuela’s vast hinterland, where the kind of economic activity seen in Caracas in recent years never materialized. They promised a government that would create sufficient jobs to attract Venezuelans living abroad to return home and reunite with their families.
Protesters take cover during clashes with police in demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters look after Shuamy Gomez, who was wounded during clashes with police, in demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A person stands above police as he joins protests against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Valencia, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Jacinto Oliveros)
A protester aims a weapon during clashes with police amid demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Members of the opposition, in the Argentine embassy, thank supporters protesting the official election results that declared President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, a day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro won reelection in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Opposition supporters protest the official election results outside the Argentine embassy, a day after the vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters smash an advertising board during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Consuelo Marquez holds a Venezuelan flag in front of police blocking demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters embrace while singing Venezuela's national anthem during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado join hands during a press conference the day after the election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A man carries a protester affected by tear gas thrown by police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in the Caria neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A protester steps on a campaign sign of President Nicolas Maduro during a march against hish being declared the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A man carries a protester affected by tear gas thrown by police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in the Caria neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrating against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection ride through tear gas fired by police the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
A protester throws a gas canister back at police during demonstrations against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Police aim at protesters demonstrating against the official election results after electoral authorities certified President Nicolas Maduro's reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Police hurdle a gas canister at protesters demonstrating against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People protest the official results declaring President Nicolas Maduro was reelected, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents bang pots and pans to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Residents block a street to protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
National Guards work to disperse protesters the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents throw objects at National Guards as they protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Residents watch protesters face off with National Guards to protest the official results the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives with his wife Cilia Flores for a ceremony where the National Electoral Council (CNE) certifies that he won the presidential election, at the CNE in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Residents try to block a street to protest the official results the day after the presidential election as National Guards work to remove them in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner, the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Residents bang pots to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Protesters burn an election campaign poster of President Nicolas Maduro as they demonstrate against the official election results declaring him the winner the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A protester steps on a campaign sign of President Nicolas Maduro during a march against hish being declared the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, receives certification from the President of the National Electoral Council (CNE) Elvis Amoroso that he won the presidential election, at the CNE in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Defense Minister Padrino Lopez attends the ceremony certifying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the winner of the presidential election at the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Protesters on motorcycles demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro won reelection, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Protesters march against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner, the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. The sign reads in Spanish "Until the end. No dictator." (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attends a ceremony at the National Electoral Council (CNE) that certifies him as the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People protest the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election, the day after the vote in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A resident bangs a pot to protest the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Police and National Guards stand outside the National Election Council (CNE) the day after the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
People walk along Sabana Grande Boulevard in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Commuters wait for a bus in the El Valle neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the morning after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Grocery store workers wait for their employer to open for business in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the morning after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Venezuelans living in Mexico hold a Venezuelan flag outside their nation's embassy that has a polling station set up for the presidential election in Mexico City, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
An aerial view of the Guarataro neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 27, 2024. Voters head to the polls on July 28 to decide on whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro for a third term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez bang pots after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside the Andres Bello School voting center asking to know results after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Police patrol the streets during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Drones depict the image of President Nicolas Maduro over Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside his campaign headquarters after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro celebrate after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez embrace after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, right, and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A man crosses an avenue in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024, the day after the presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A Venezuelan holds a sign that reads in Spanish: "Barinas present. Edmundo President," during a gathering of Venezuelans in support of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on the day of the presidential election in Venezuela, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Members of the presidential guar line up to vote during presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Voters line up during presidential elections at the Andres Bello School, the main voting center in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Military personnel help assist an elderly voter during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets a supporter as she arrives to vote during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Voters line up outside a polling station during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
The opposition's presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez flashes a victory sign as he arrives to vote in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Voters line up during presidential elections at a polling station in Petare neighborhood, Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado hugs supporters after voting in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A soldier guards the entrance of an open voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Venezuelan citizens chant "Freedom!" as they wait for the results of their nation's presidential election in Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)
President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores turn on their mobile phone flashlights after voting in the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Maduro is seeking re-election for a third term. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Voters line up outside a polling station that reads in Spanish "Vote" during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Government supporters, left, face off with opposition backers outside a voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Police guard a voting center during the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside his campaign headquarters after the polls closed for the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Electoral officials tally votes after polls closed for presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez gather outside the Andres Bello School voting center, asking for the results, after the polls closed for the presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters gathered outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro celebrate after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, right, and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters after electoral authorities declared him the winner of the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
