Mass Protests Erupt In Venezuela As Voters Refuse To Accept Incumbent Dictator’s Dubious Election Victory

Mass protests broke out across Venezuela on Monday and Tuesday in reaction to incumbent socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro’s questionable claim to victory in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Maduro declared himself the winner of the presidential election despite concerns that votes had been tampered with and the election set in his favor. With the opposing party refusing to concede defeat and the international community condemning the election as rigged, protesters have taken to the streets of Venezuela to decry Maduro as his regime works to suppress resistance, according to several accounts.

“I’ll fight for my country’s democracy. They stole the election from us,” one masked protester told Reuters.

“We are tired of this government, we want a change. We want to be free in Venezuela. We want our families to return here,” another protester told Reuters.

Protesters took to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, reaching government installations that had not seen such demonstrations in decades, according to The New York Times and Reuters. Some protesters in Caracas and other cities ripped apart posters of Maduro while others lit fires in the streets and threw petrol bombs at law enforcement, which in turn fired tear gas to disperse crowds.

A crowd of protesters attempted to reach the presidential palace but were stopped by law enforcement, according to the Times. Another crowd in Cumana, located hundreds of miles from Caracas, made its way toward Venezuela’s election headquarters but was stonewalled by the National Guard.