Venezuela’s President Maduro calls for state ‘iron fist’ after deadly protests

Simisola AdigunAugust 13, 2024

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Amid ongoing protests in Venezuela which have seen 25 deaths and more than 2,000 arrests following President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election, he has has called for the state’s use of an “iron fist” to deal with the situation.

Maduro made the call on Monday after deadly protests in response to his July reelection, dismissed at home and abroad as a sham.

As the official protest death toll rose to 25, Maduro urged “severe justice” for violence he blames on the opposition, which insists its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia had won the July 28 vote by a landslide.

In his call, Maduro said, “I demand from all the powers of state greater speed, greater efficiency and an iron fist against crime, against violence, against hate crimes,” the socialist leader told a defense council meeting.

Widespread protests broke out after Maduro was declared president-elect by the CNE electoral council seen as loyal to his regime.

Maduro’s re-election has drawn calls from international leaders for verified voting records from the July 28 presidential elections.

Observers reported a brutal security force crackdown with more than 2,000 arrests.

Maduro, in turn, blames Gonzalez Urrutia and popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was ruled out of running for the presidency by institutions aligned to the state.