Venezuelans protest continues over the disputed elections results

Thousands of Venezuelans demonstrated across the country on Saturday against a disputed election, as President Nicolas Maduro told supporters that about two thousand people had been arrested during protests over the results.

Venezuela’s election commission, which critics have attacked and accused of being a supporter of the Socialists ruling the country, declared Maduro the winner of Sunday’s election, saying on Monday he had won 51% of the vote, compared with 46% for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, as the committee confirmed the same margin on Friday.

The announced election results sparked widespread accusations of fraud and protests.

Meanwhile, security forces later cracked down on the protests, which Maduro’s government described as part of a US-backed coup attempt.

“This time there will be no forgiveness,” Maduro told supporters at a rally in Caracas, saying some 2,000 people had been arrested in connection with crimes during the protests.

He vowed to apply the maximum penalty.

Maduro’s supporters have said they defend democracy.

Elsewhere, opposition supporters marched to demand justice, backed by the presence of its leader Maria Corina Machado, who emerged from hiding on Saturday to join protests in the streets of Caracas.

Machado’s supporters were happy to see her on the streets after she said in an opinion piece published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal that she was hiding and feared for her life.

In addition to Caracas, protests were held in other cities, including Valencia, Maracaibo and San Cristobal.

So far, at least 20 people have been killed in the post-election protests, according to human rights groups, including US-based Human Rights Watch.

About 1,200 other people have been arrested in connection with the protests, according to the government.

Countries including the United States and Argentina have already acknowledged Gonzalez’s election victory, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing overwhelming evidence on Thursday.

Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay also concluded on Friday that Gonzalez received the most votes, on the other hand, countries including Russia, China and Cuba congratulated Maduro.