(Reuters) – Protesters took to streets throughout Venezuela on Tuesday, demanding President Nicolas Maduro acknowledge that he lost Sunday’s election to an opposition that says they clinched a landslide victory. Read our story here.
Calling Maduro an “entrenched incumbent,” the LA Times said the election “was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule.”
On election night in Buenos Aires, at a vigil for Maduro’s government – known as ‘Chavistas’ after former President Hugo Chavez – spectators had carried signs labeled “RIP Chavismo.” But, the Buenos Aires Herald reported, Venezuelans living in Argentina had their “hopes dashed” when a Maduro win was announced. “The news hit like a bomb outside Venezuela’s embassy in Buenos Aires,” it stated.
The Miami Herald in an editorial said “Maduro’s announced victory smells like a dictator’s dirty old trick.” But it questioned what the international community could do. “Can the U.S. force out a regime that has survived Republican and Democratic White House administrations?” it asked.
Spain’s El Pais looked at pressure coming from inside and outside the country for verifiable results. “There is a lot at stake. Chavismo should be the first to benefit from transparency about the election, because it needs a victory that will be internationally recognized,” it said.
Ukraine’s Kyiv Post asked: “Is Maduro’s Fall the Beginning of the End for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin?” as it analyzed “why the Maduro-Putin alliance is so important, and what impact a revolution in Caracas could have on Ukraine’s fight for freedom.”
Politico examined how the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is carefully navigating Venezuela’s election. It reported on how the U.S. government said it had “serious concerns” but had “stopped short of declaring the narrow victory of President Nicolas Maduro fraudulent.” The region was at risk of instability that could increase migration pressure, it said.
(Compiled by Hani Richter, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
