マドゥロ氏再選への抗議続く　ベネズエラ

【カラカスＡＦＰ＝時事】南米ベネズエラの首都カラカスでは３０日も、大統領選でニコラス・マドゥロ大統領の再選が発表されたことに抗議する大規模デモが行われた。前日には１１人が死亡、数十人が負傷したが、この日は他の都市などでも混乱は見られなかった。（写真は、支持者に手を振るベネズエラ野党指導者のマリア・コリナ・マチャド氏〈中央〉と大統領選の野党連合候補エドムンド・ゴンサレス氏〈右隣〉。首都カラカスで）
　マドゥロ政権の影響下にあるとされる全国選挙管理委員会（ＣＮＥ）はマドゥロ氏の勝利を宣言したが、国外からも詳細な開票結果を公表するよう求める声が高まっている。
　これに対しマドゥロ氏は、抗議行動に伴う「犯罪的暴力や死傷、破壊行為」の責任は野党側にあると反論している。
　人権ＮＧＯ「フォロ・ペナル」によると、これまでに未成年２人を含むデモ参加者少なくとも１１人が死亡した。代表のアルフレド・ロメロ氏は、この他多数が負傷し、少なくとも１７７人が逮捕されたとし、「人権の危機」だと指摘している。
　ＣＮＥはマドゥロ氏の得票率は５１％、野党連合候補の元外交官エドムンド・ゴンサレス氏は４４％と発表したが、投票前の独立世論調査ではゴンサレス氏の大勝が見込まれていたため、野党側は結果は受け入れられないとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/07/31-16:47）

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered Tuesday in a peaceful show of opposition support a day after 12 people died and dozens were injured in protests against President Nicolas Maduro's disputed presidential election victory.
Freedom! Freedom! and We are not afraid! they chanted at a mass rally in the capital Caracas, where opposition leaders insisted they had the numbers for a convincing victory.
International calls mounted for the Maduro-aligned National Electoral Council (CNE) to release a detailed vote breakdown to back its awarding of Sunday's election to him.
Maduro said the opposition would be held responsible for criminal violence... the wounded, the dead, the destruction associated with protests.
The Foro Penal human rights NGO said at least 11 people -- two of them minors -- had died in what its head Alfredo Romero described as a crisis of human rights.
Dozens more were injured, and at least 177 arrested, he said, while authorities reported more than 700 arrests.
The military has reported one death and 23 injuries among its ranks.
Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at protesters who claimed the election was stolen and flooded the streets with chants of this government is going to fall!
The opposition rejects the authorities' assertion that Maduro won with 51 percent of votes compared to 44 percent for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
Maduro, 61, has led the oil-rich country since 2013, presiding over a GDP drop of 80 percent that pushed more than seven million of once-wealthy Venezuela's 30 million citizens to emigrate.
He is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.
- 'Terrorism' -
The US-based Carter Center, whose monitors observed the poll, said the election failed democratic fairness standards and called for the release of detailed polling station results.
Venezuela's 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Independent polls had predicted retired diplomat Gonzalez Urrutia, 74, would win by a wide margin.
Thousands of protesters streamed into the streets of several cities when Maduro was declared the winner, some ripping down and burning his campaign posters in anger.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab said 749 criminals had been arrested at protests and faced charges of resisting authority or, in the most serious cases, terrorism.
Maduro's close aide and Venezuela's National Assembly president, Jorge Rodriguez, said on Tuesday Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado -- the popular opposition leader blocked from the ballot by Maduro-aligned courts -- should be locked up over the protests.
- 'Maduro dictator' -
Opposition supporters gathered for peaceful rallies in several cities on Tuesday.
Thousands attended a gathering in Caracas with Gonzalez Urrutia and Machado, waving Venezuelan flags and chanting: Maduro dictator! and Edmundo president!
We have to stay in the streets, we cannot allow them to steal our vote so brazenly, said Carley Patino, a 47-year-old administrator.
Gonzalez Urrutia told the crowd security forces had no reason for so much persecution.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Tuesday he was extremely concerned about increasing tensions in Venezuela, with worrying reports of violence.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Venezuela's security forces must guarantee that demonstrators can gather peacefully.
The White House said any political repression or violence against protesters or of the opposition is obviously unacceptable.
Long queues formed at stores and supermarkets in Caracas Tuesday as residents stocked up on food, toilet paper and soap.
Most other businesses were closed.
- 'Exceptional manipulation' -
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said Maduro had the absolute loyalty and unconditional support of the armed forces and vowed to preserve internal order.
There had been widespread fears of fraud and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation before the election.
The Organization of American States charged there had been exceptional manipulation of the results.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US counterpart Joe Biden held talks Tuesday and called for the CNE to release detailed election results. Both countries host large numbers of Venezuelan migrants.
The United Nations, United States, European Union and several Latin American countries have all raised questions about the count and called for a transparent reckoning.
Peru recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela's legitimate president on Tuesday, prompting Caracas to sever diplomatic relations.
Costa Rica has offered Gonzalez Urrutia and Machado political asylum.
Caracas has withdrawn diplomatic staff from eight critical Latin American countries and asked envoys from those nations to leave its territory.