Tensions high in Venezuela after contested election, with more arrests feared

By Deisy Buitrago and Maria Ramirez

CARACAS/PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela (Reuters) -Shops and public transport across Venezuela shut down on Wednesday as tensions over a fiercely disputed presidential election and rumors of more opposition arrests and sporadic violence kept many people home.

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who has ruled since 2013, was proclaimed the winner of the Sunday vote by the electoral council. But the opposition says its tally of about 90% of votes shows that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, received more than double the support attracted by Maduro.

As the dispute entered its third day amid growing calls for more transparency, the government insisted it had not produced comprehensive vote totals at the polling station level because of a system hack originating in North Macedonia for the extended delay, without providing any evidence to back that up.

The U.S.-based Carter Center, one of the few independent monitors allowed to observe the election, announced in a statement late Tuesday that the election "cannot be considered democratic." It said the process was slanted in favor of Maduro and flawed throughout, describing the electoral authority's failure to publish disaggregated results a "serious breach."

In remarks broadcast on state television on Wednesday, Maduro said he rejected all threats, including the possibility of new U.S. sanctions.

Maduro pledged that his socialist party is ready to release all of its vote tallies, and said he has asked the top court to force opposition parties to do the same.

Early Monday morning, Venezuela's electoral authority - which the opposition accuses of being in Maduro's pocket - announced that he won another term in office, attracting 51% of the vote, with a seven-point margin over Gonzalez.

But shortly afterwards, Venezuela's main opposition alliance launched a website with detailed ballot box-level vote counts covering tallies from the vast majority of the country's 30,000 voting machines, including scans of vote tally print-outs from the machines.

As of late afternoon on Wednesday, the website showed opposition hopeful Gonzalez with 67% of the vote versus 30% for Maduro, representing nearly 82% of polling station data.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of each individual tally. Independent exit polls, however, showed a similar margin of victory for Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, international pressure on the government has mounted to release full results, including from regional heavyweights the United States and Brazil.

At a session of the Washington-based Organization of American States, Brian Nichols, a senior U.S. diplomat for Latin America, said the reason Venezuela's electoral authority has failed to release full vote tallies is "obvious."

Either officials do not want to confirm Gonzalez's lopsided triumph, or they need more time to falsify results, he argued.

"Everybody can see it is clear that Edmundo Gonzalez defeated Nicolas Maduro by millions of votes," said Nichols, imploring Maduro and other foreign governments to recognize his defeat.

The dispute has led to deadly, widespread protests that Maduro and his allies in the military have denounced as an attempted coup. Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday it had received reports of 20 deaths in post-election demonstrations.

Some Maduro allies, like Congress head Jorge Rodriguez, have said that Gonzalez and high-profile opposition leader Maria Corina Machado should be arrested for their role in the anti-government protests, including in longtime ruling party strongholds.

'THEY KILLED MY SON'

The arrests of Gonzalez or Machado would mark a major escalation, following the detentions of two other opposition leaders this week, including the head of the Voluntad Popular party Freddy Superlano. His arrest was captured on video that showed him being shoved into the back of an unmarked car surrounded by armed security agents.

Reuters witnesses in several cities have seen clashes between security forces and opposition protesters, as well as attacks on protesters by ruling party-allied motorcycle riders.

"I alert the world about a cruel and repressive escalation by the regime," Machado wrote on X on Wednesday.

The popular former lawmaker was barred by a government-allied court from running for president, but still managed to galvanize support behind Gonzalez, a retired diplomat, at mass rallies in the lead-up to the vote.

Two opposition sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters that the opposition is focused on pressuring the government to release all vote tallies.

Though previous waves of anti-government protests over the past decade led to international condemnations and hundreds of deaths, they all failed to dislodge Maduro.

Many anxious residents retreated to their homes as many shops on eerily quiet streets were closed. But new violent flashpoints emerged.

Late on Tuesday, Luis Eduardo Roberto, 19, died in the city of Upata, capital of Bolivar state, following an opposition protest.

The cause of death was a bullet to the head, according to the death certificate. Witnesses including the teen's father, Ricardo Roberto, said motorcycle vigilantes shot at him.

"I'm outraged," he said. "They killed my son."

Bolivar Governor Angel Marcano, a Maduro ally, confirmed the death, but blamed rock-throwing protesters for it.

In the capital Caracas some stores were open, though lines were long, and there was increased military presence around the presidential palace.

Bus drivers in Maracay, about 75 miles (120 km) west of Caracas, were not working out of fear of more violence.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago in Caracas and Maria Ramirez in Puerto Ordaz; Additional reporting by Mircely Guanipa in Maracay, Tibisay Romero in Valencia, Mayela Armas and Vivian Sequera in Caracas, Tathiana Ortiz in San Cristobal, Mariela Nava in Maracaibo, Keren Torres in Barquisimeto, Stephanie Kelly in Washington and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb and David Alire; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Stephen Coates and Michael Perry)