In an intensification of the protests against the electoral results that granted victory to Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans toppled a statue of the dictator Hugo Chávez on Monday.
In Coro, Falcón state, protesters gathered in Plaza Hugo Chávez, an emblematic site for Chavismo, and toppled a statue about three meters tall, which had served as a landmark for political events in the region, reported La Tercera.
At the site, the police tried to disperse the protesters, resulting in clashes between the officers and the public.
The protests have been driven by the decision to declare Maduro the winner, a measure that has been contested, especially since Edmundo González was clearly leading in the polls.
In the capital of the country, Caracas, people have taken to the streets to demand the dismissal of Maduro, following irregularities that suggest a possible large-scale electoral fraud.
According to the AP agency, thousands of Venezuelans protested in Caracas to reject the reelection of Nicolás Maduro, a result that has been widely questioned by both the opposition and several countries in the region.
In Petare, the largest and poorest neighborhood in the east of the capital, people began to march shouting slogans against Maduro. Young people with covered faces tore down posters from his campaign off poles and walls, while others chanted: “And it will fall, and it will fall, this government will fall!”
With shouts of "freedom" and other slogans of rejection towards the ruler, the protesters expressed their disapproval of the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which officially declared Maduro as the winner.
Also this Monday, the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, announced the suspension of diplomatic relations with Venezuela and the withdrawal of its personnel from the South American country.
This decision comes after rejecting the results of the Venezuelan presidential elections.
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