Angry supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles are planning a second day of demonstrations Tuesday to protest his narrow defeat in this week’s presidential election. Capriles’ supporters banged pots and pans and burned trash bags as they marched through the streets of Caracas Monday, demanding a recount. They were confronted by police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Opposition protests were also reported in several provincial cities.
Protests broke out after Venezuela’s election commission declared acting President Nicolas Maduro the winner of Sunday’s vote. Maduro – the late President Hugo Chavez’s handpicked successor – was elected by a razor-thin margin of 50.7 percent to 49.1 percent over Capriles.
Shortly after the results were certified, Capriles, the governor of Miranda state, urged his supporters to protest outside the election commission’s offices Tuesday. Capriles claims his campaign has received more than 3,200 complaints of irregularities in Sunday’s election.
Full Article: Venezuela Under Pressure for Election Recount.