Venezuelans in Cayman and Around the Globe Protest: ‘Election Results in Question’

By Stuart Wilson

Members of the Venezuelan community living in Grand Cayman gathered at Hero’s Square in the Island’s Capital (George Town), at 4pm on Saturday, 17th August in a show of solidarity with the Venezuelan diaspora around the world.

The gathering was part of a larger movement of Venezuelan citizens who all came together at the same time in various countries to protest against what they say has been a miscarriage of the people’s will in that Country’s latest election.

Organisers say the people of Venezuela are reluctant to accept that Nicolás Maduro was the formal winner of the election.

In responding to a call from the Opposition Party in the Country - who claim to be the real winners of the election - to defend its claim to victory, protests around the world were mobilised.

Those on hand for the protest in the Cayman Islands, waved the country’s flag and were adorned in the trademark colours of the South American nation.

Demonstrations in Cayman and other parts of the world were an effort by the main opposition coalition to make visible what they insist is the real outcome of the election.

Venezuelans said the rightful president elect is Edmundo González and called for the

National Electoral Council in Venezuela to release the election’s tally sheets, as they have done in previous elections, and which they say show the Opposition winning the election. 

Members of the National Electoral Council are said to be loyal to the ruling party and declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election hours after polls closed, according to news outlets.

However, González and Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado revealed that vote tally sheets issued by every electronic voting machine after polls closed showed González winning by a wide margin and were uploaded to a website for anyone to see.

Protestors around the globe were called on by the Opposition to print the tally sheets and display them at demonstrations around the world on Saturday at 4pm.

The group in Grand Cayman did not display voting tally sheets to the Caymanian Times.

Maduro’s whose government is the successor to the Hugo Chávez regime, which ruled from 1999 to 2013, has been in power since 2013.

News organisations such as NPR are reporting that security forces have been rounding up protesters in Venezuela and the Opposition has called for the international community’s assistance in the matter.