Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters angry over the announcement that Nicolas Maduro had won Sunday's presidential election.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Caracas on Monday, chanting “Freedom, freedom!” and “This government is going to fall!” The opposition has questioned the official results announced by the electoral commission, a doubt supported by several countries around the world.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) nevertheless certified Maduro's re-election for a third six-year term until 2031.
At least two statues of Hugo Chavez, the late socialist icon who led Venezuela for more than a decade and elected Maduro as his successor, have been torn down by protesters across the country.
The National Guard fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters, many of whom wore motorcycle helmets and bandanas tied over their faces for protection. Some responded by throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.
Maduro has dismissed international criticism and doubts about the outcome, saying Venezuela was the target of a “fascist and counterrevolutionary” coup attempt.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters that a review of voting records available so far clearly showed that the next president “will be Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,” who took her place on the ballot after she was excluded by courts aligned with Maduro.
The election was held amid widespread fears of government fraud and a campaign marred by allegations of political intimidation.
Pollsters had predicted a resounding victory for the opposition.
Early Monday, the CNE said Maduro had obtained 51.2 percent of the votes cast, compared to 44.2 percent for González Urrutia.
The opposition protested, prompting Attorney General Tarek William Saab to link Machado to an alleged “cyberattack” that sought to “adulterate” the results.
The result sparked concern and calls for a “transparent” process by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries.
The CNE has not provided a detailed breakdown of the result.
Sunday's election was the result of an agreement reached last year between the government and the opposition.
That deal prompted the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro's 2018 re-election, which was dismissed as a sham by dozens of Latin American countries and others.
Sanctions were reimposed after Maduro failed to meet agreed conditions.
