Venezuela’s military on Tuesday criticised an opposition appeal for support from the armed forces amid the disputed re-election of President Nicolas Maduro, saying it was “desperate and treasonous”.
Opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado on Monday appealed to the “conscience” of military and police officials – traditionally staunch Maduro allies – to “take the side of the people.”
Prosecutors launched a fast-track criminal investigation into him on charges of declaring someone other than Maduro the election winner, inciting disobedience, rebellion and conspiracy.
In a statement declaring “full loyalty” to Maduro, Defense Minister and Army Chief Vladimir Padrino said: “We strongly reject desperate and treasonous approaches” that “attempt to undermine our unity and institutionalism, but will never succeed.”
The opposition says Gonzalez Urrutia is the rightful winner of the July 28 presidential election, which has plunged the oil-rich nation into a political crisis.
Several countries, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized González Urrutia as the winner, while others, such as the European Union, have refused to do so and have demanded the full publication of the voting record.
The National Electoral Council said on Monday that it had submitted all of these records to the Supreme Court for certification, as requested by Maduro — but not publicly.
The disputed election sparked protests last week that have left at least 24 civilians dead and more than 2,000 arrested as of Tuesday, according to human rights groups.
Maduro on Monday called for a boycott of the WhatsApp messaging platform, alleging that military, police and community leaders who support his re-election had received threats through the app.
“I’m going to delete WhatsApp from my phone forever, little by little I’ll move my contacts to Telegram, WeChat,” Maduro said. He also slammed TikTok and Instagram for promoting “division” and “hatred” among Venezuelans.
Machado – who was barred from contesting the election and who backed González Urrutia – on Tuesday denounced a “campaign of terrorism” in the country.
“They want to scare us so we can’t communicate, because isolated we would be very vulnerable and that’s not going to happen. Fear will not paralyze us and we will not get off the streets,” Machado said in an audio message released on social media.
European Union spokesman Peter Stano told Venezuela’s government on Tuesday that its campaign of intimidation against the opposition “must stop”.
“We urge the authorities to stop this campaign of intimidation and judicial threats against the opposition,” he said.