Venezuelan opposition vows to make Maduro 'yield' on election 'fraud'

CARACAS

Venezuelan opposition supporters gathered in Caracas on Wednesday, chanting "Liberty!" as their leader came out of hiding to lead a protest against President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, widely denounced as fraudulent.

Maria Corina Machado, who has kept a low profile amid threats from Maduro after the presidential vote a month ago, vowed in front of followers to not stop fighting until the opposition's claim to victory is recognized.

"They say that the regime will not yield. You know what: we are going to make it yield and (that) means respecting the will expressed on July 28," she told a rally that attracted hundreds of supporters in an atmosphere of fear.

Machado arrived at the demonstration hiding her face under a black hoodie, which she took off only when she clambered onto the truck that served as her stage.

"Brave! Brave!" supporters chanted as the truck passed them.

"I'm fighting for Venezuela, to recover our democracy. We don't want to live in a dictatorship," demonstrator Laidy Molina, a 60-year-old nutritionist, told AFP.

Maduro has called for the arrest of Machado and the opposition's presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who replaced her on the ballot after the regime barred her from running.

Venezuela's CNE electoral council -- most of its members loyal to 61-year-old Maduro -- declared him the winner hours after polls closed, giving him 52 percent of ballots cast without providing a full breakdown.

The opposition has published its own polling station-level records, which it says show that Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old retired diplomat, won by a landslide.

'Making progress'

Spontaneous protests erupted in the hours after Maduro's claimed victory, with at least 25 civilians killed and more than 2,400 arrested.

Several Latin American countries, the United States and the European Union have called on the CNE to release voting data that proves Maduro's reelection to a third, six-year term until 2031.

The CNE said it was unable to provide the data due to a computer hack, though election observers said there was no evidence of this.

Wednesday's rally was the fourth organized demonstration called by the opposition to denounce Maduro's election "fraud."

"We have to protect ourselves, take care of ourselves," Machado told supporters.

"Every passing day we are making progress... We have succeeded in turning the cause for freedom in Venezuela into a global cause."

The ruling "Chavista" movement, named after Maduro's socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, also held a rally Wednesday to mark its "victory."

"Our president is Nicolas. Here nobody surrenders, the people have won," said Atenai Figueroa, who attended the event.

Gonzalez Urrutia, last seen in public at an opposition rally on July 30, ignored summons on two successive days this week in an investigation by Maduro-aligned prosecutors.

He is being accused of "usurpation" of official powers, disseminating false information and incitement to insurrection.

A third summons was issued on Wednesday in the probe that stems from the opposition publishing election results the CNE claims only it has the right to release.

The opposition coalition says Gonzalez Urrutia is the target of "judicial harassment."

The charges against him carry a potential 30-year sentence.

On Tuesday, Maduro reshuffled his cabinet and named two of his closest allies to key positions.

Diosdado Cabello, the number two in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), is now interior minister, responsible for policing and security matters.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez took over the role of oil minister in a country with the world's largest crude reserves and an industry bent under U.S. sanctions.

The opposition claimed Wednesday that one of its senior figures, ex-lawmaker Biagio Pilieri, was arrested shortly after appearing at the rally with Machado.

This came a day after Machado accused the regime of "kidnapping" her lawyer.

Six of Machado's most trusted collaborators, including her campaign chief, have taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas.

Foro Penal, a human rights NGO, said Wednesday that Venezuela now held 1,780 "political prisoners" -- a higher amount than it has had at any other point in the 21st century.

Of the total, 114 were teenagers.

Meeting in Washington, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights denounced "violent repression, arbitrary detentions, and political persecution" in Venezuela.