[News] Venezuela: 10 Dead, 200 Voting Centers Attacked as US Sanctions Maduro

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13276


  Venezuela: 10 Dead, 200 Voting Centers Attacked as US Sanctions Maduro

By Lucas Koerner - August 1, 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia, July 31, 2017 (venezuelanalysis.com 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuelanalysis.com>) – The U.S. 
government slapped sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro one 
day after the South American country saw record turnout in National 
Constituent Assembly (ANC) elections amid deadly opposition violence.

On Monday, the US Treasury Department labeled 
<https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/sm0137.aspx> 
the elected Venezuelan leader a “dictator” and froze his alleged assets 
in the United States. The measure was legally authorized under Executive 
Order 13692 <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=109730>, 
which was signed by President Barack Obama in 2015 and brands Venezuela 
an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.

For his part, Maduro fired back at the White House, calling the move an 
“expression of impotence [and] desperation”.

“They [the US] see Latin America as a lapdog that wags its tail and nods 
yes. It’s an irate reaction because the Venezuelan people and its 
president disobeyed [the US’] order to suspend the National Constituent 
Assembly,” he declared.

“I don’t obey imperial orders and moreover [I am] against US 
imperialism,” the head of state continued.

*Mixed reactions*

The sanctions come on the heels of ANC elections that saw 8,089,4320 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13275> Venezuelans turn out to vote, 
a figure that surpasses the 7,587,579 votes Maduro received in his 
narrow 2013 election victory.

In the lead-up to the elections, Washington sanctioned 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13264> 13 top Venezuelan officials 
and threatened “strong and swift economic actions” if the initiative to 
redraft Venezuela’s constitution 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/13260> went ahead.

Despite the high turnout, the US State Department has refused to 
recognize election and several close US allies have followed suit, 
including Canada, Spain, the UK, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and 
Panama. The European Union similarly expressed “grave doubts as to 
whether the election result can be recognized”.

For its part, Russia dismissed the international chorus rejecting the 
result as “destructive”.

"We hope that those members of the international community who want to 
reject the results of the Venezuelan elections and increase the economic 
pressure on Caracas, show restraint and renounce these destructive plans 
that can sharpen the polarization of Venezuelan society,” the Russian 
Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, regional leftist governments, including Bolivia, Nicaragua, 
El Salvador, congratulated Venezuela on the successful election.

In particular, Bolivian President Evo Morales hit out at Mexico and 
Colombia, whom he said would do well to “have their own constituent 
assembly… to change their capitalist system, their imperialist system”.

Within Venezuela, the result sparked condemnation from the country’s 
right-wing opposition coalition, the MUD, as well as Attorney General 
Luisa Ortega.

The MUD, which boycotted the elections despite repeated overtures from 
the government to participate, has raised allegations of voter fraud, 
but has yet to provide evidence to back its claims.

“We do not recognize this fraudulent process, for us it is null and 
void,” declared Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles. As the MUD candidate 
against Maduro in 2013 presidential elections, Capriles refused to 
recognize his narrow defeat, calling on his supporters to “vent their 
anger” in the streets. Eleven people were killed in the ensuing 
post-election violence.

International electoral observers, for their part, reported that the 
electoral process was transparent.

“[Venezuelans] have concurred in a civic and peaceful manner to exercise 
their right to vote in a free, universal, direct, and secret election as 
expressed in Article 63 of the Bolivarian Constitution,” stated the 
Council of Electoral Specialists of Latin America, which is composed of 
ex-presidents and electoral monitoring officials from throughout the region.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council announced the preliminary results 
on Sunday evening, but it has yet to release the state-by-state vote 
breakdown as well as the full list of candidates elected. On Monday, the 
electoral body was the target of a cyber attack by opposition hackers 
that shut down its website for a number of hours, together with that of 
Venezuela’s state television network.

*Violent unrest claims 10 lives***

Sunday’s vote was rocked by deadly anti-government violence aimed at 
preventing the election from taking place.

On the eve of the vote, an ANC candidate for the communes sector was 
assassinated in Bolivar state. Children’s rights activist and community 
organizer Felix Pineda Marcano (39) was gunned down in his home in 
Ciudad Bolivar on Saturday evening. Authorities are actively 
investigating the murder, which they believe could be politically 
motivated.

Meanwhile, over the course of the day, 200 voting stations were besieged 
by opposition militants across the country, according to Defense 
Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.

In Tachira state, National Guard Second Sergeant Ronald Ramirez was shot 
in the head and killed near a military installation in La Grita.

The Public Prosecution (MP) has reported 9 other deaths over the course 
of the day’s events.

In addition to Ramirez, two unnamed adolescents and a third man by the 
name of Jose Cardenas were killed in Tachira state. In Merida, Angelo 
Mendez and Eduardo Olave were killed in the early hours of the morning 
before voting began, while Jose Sanchez also lost his life under unknown 
circumstances.

In Lara state, Luis Zambrano (43) was reportedly shot dead in an 
anti-government protest in Barquisimeto. Elsewhere in Sucre state, the 
MP confirmed the death of Democratic Action youth leader Ricardo Campos 
during an opposition protest in the early hours of the morning.

A man by the name of Haidar Ocando was likewise killed in Zulia state, 
though no further details are yet known concerning the cause of death. 
The MP has dispatched state district attorneys to investigate all of the 
fatalities.

Meanwhile, the heavily pro-opposition Altamira neighborhood of eastern 
Caracas was the scene of another roadside bomb attack targeting a 
Bolivarian National Police motorcycle caravan.

As captured on camera, the police motorcyclists are seen driving down 
Francisco de Miranda Avenue when suddenly a bomb goes off, producing a 
giant explosion as onlookers cheer.

Eight officers were injured in the blast with first, second, and third 
degree burns. The Public Prosecution is investigating.

The incident marks the second time in a month that large-scale explosive 
devices has been used in the wealthy eastern Caracas municipality of 
Chacao. On July 10, seven National Guard officials were injured in a 
similar remote-detonated explosion 
<https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/13229>.

In total, the Interior Ministry has reported that 21 state security 
personnel suffered gunshot wounds over the course of the day. Forty-nine 
people were arrested for attacks on military personnel on Sunday.

Published on Aug 1st 2017 at 1.09am

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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