ALBAWABA - Called for by the opposition, hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets of Venezuela's capital in protest at the results of a recent election that declared victory for President Nicolas Maduro.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged her followers "to remain firm and united" in a social media message on Saturday, soon after calling for protests in hundreds of towns throughout the country.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) publicly declared Maduro as the winner of the election, stating in early August that he had received 52% of the vote, compared to 43% for the main opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
As the opposition also claims to have secured victory in the disputed elections, hundreds stood before opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as she hailed the protestors for standing their grounds, stressing that the protests must continue.
The opposition claimed that Gonzalez had beaten the current president, prompting worldwide calls for Maduro's administration to release the entire vote count.
So far, at least 25 people have been killed in post-election protests, with almost 200 injured and more than 2,400 imprisoned, while the ongoing crisis has raised concerns that Venezuelan authorities may crack down on opposition leaders and protestors even more.
In the aftermath of the July election, Nicolas Maduro accused his political opponents of plotting a "coup d'etat," and he demanded the arrests of Machado and Gonzalez.
