dpa
Rio de Janeiro
The Venezuelan military and police forces on Tuesday reaffirmed their loyalty to the regime of President Nicolás Maduro, as the electoral authority in the capital Caracas said it had presented official election results to the country’s top court after days of delays.
Crisis-hit Venezuela has been rocked by renewed instability in recent weeks after Maduro was declared the winner of heavily contested presidential elections on July 28.
In the latest developments from Caracas, a joint statement from the Defence Ministry and Interior Ministry said the country’s security forces have again reaffirmed their “absolute loyalty to the citizen Nicolás Maduro.”
The statement came in response to an open letter by opposition leader María Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo González which called on soldiers and police officers to take the side of the people and stop following the instructions of the incumbent government.
“We urge you to prevent the regime from unleashing its rampage against the people and to respect, and ensure that others respect, the results of the July 28 elections,” they said.
Machado and González also said that authoritarian incumbent President Nicolás Maduro “carried out a coup d’état that contradicts the constitutional order and wants to make you his accomplices.” Venezuela’s public prosecutors subsequently opened an investigation into the pair, accusing them of forming a criminal organization, conspiracy, usurpation of office and incitement to insurrection.
According to non-governmental organization Foro Penal, at least 11 people died and hundreds were detained in demonstrations since the election.
