Opposition protesters are taking to the streets of Venezuela's capital once again to denounce the results of a recent election that saw President Nicolas Maduro secure another term in power.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged her supporters to “stay firm and united” in a social media post on Saturday, shortly after calling on people to demonstrate in hundreds of cities across the country and abroad.
“They are trying to scare us, divide us, paralyze us, demoralize us, but they can't because they are absolutely entrenched in their lies. [and] violence,” Machado said.
The South American nation has seen weeks of unrest following a July 28 election that opposition leaders say was riddled with fraud.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) formally declared Maduro the winner of the vote, saying in early August that he had garnered 52 percent support compared with 43 percent for main opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez.
The opposition, however, has said its vote count showed Gonzalez had defeated the incumbent president, prompting international calls for Maduro's government to release the full breakdown of the vote.
So far, at least 25 people have been killed in post-election protests, nearly 200 have been injured and more than 2,400 have been arrested, and the continuing crisis has fueled fears that Venezuelan authorities could launch a broader crackdown on opposition leaders and protesters.
Reporting from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday, Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo said the Venezuelan opposition is arguing the results constitute “massive fraud.”
“The opposition has called on people to reunite with their families at the protests, saying Venezuelans must remain united despite what is happening in the country. They have also called on people to come with Venezuelan flags and electoral certificates, the focus of the dispute,” Bo said.
“So far, the Venezuelan government has not been able to provide evidence of the election results,” he added. “The government says that the system was hacked and that is why the results have not been made available.”
Machado, whose presidential bid was blocked by institutions loyal to Maduro, is expected to take part in the march in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday.
A strong security presence was deployed in the city before the start of the demonstration.
Access to the large Petare neighborhood, just a few kilometers from the announced opposition rally point, was controlled by two armored vehicles of the National Guard and backed by about 40 officers mounted on motorcycles.
Local media reported similar deployments in other key areas.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government also urged its supporters to take to the streets later in the day.
Maduro, who came to power in 2013 following the death of his mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez, has presided over an economic collapse that has pushed millions of people to flee Venezuela in recent years.
Following the July elections, he accused his political opponents of attempting a “coup” and called for the arrest of Machado and González.
“Maduro says there is an opposition plan to remove him from office,” Al Jazeera's Bo reported on Saturday, noting that the Venezuelan leader has also accused the US of being involved.
But Maduro continues to face domestic and international pressure to provide a full recount of the vote.
Last week, Colombia and Brazil called for new elections in Venezuela, but Machado, the opposition leader, said this would show “a lack of respect” for the popular will already expressed on July 28.
On Friday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, traditionally a leftist ally of Maduro, struck a harsh tone, describing the Caracas regime as “very unpleasant” as he insisted on the publication of a detailed breakdown of the vote.
In a radio interview, Lula refused to label Maduro's government a dictatorship, but said it had an “authoritarian bias.”
The Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution in Washington on Friday urging Caracas to “promptly publish the minutes of the presidential elections, including the results of the voting at each polling station level.”
In a joint statement the same day, the European Union and 22 other countries also called for an “impartial verification” of the election result.
Meanwhile, protests also broke out in other countries around the world to show support for the Venezuelan opposition.
Australia held one of the first demonstrations on Saturday, with more than 100 Venezuelans gathering in Sydney, waving national flags.
“This is a strong message for our people in Venezuela. We are with you and we want the world to hear what we say,” protest organiser Rina Rivas told AFP. Members of the Venezuelan community also demonstrated in Melbourne.
