West attempting a coup in Venezuela – defense minister

Nationwide protests over Maduro’s re-election are part of a US-backed plan, Vladimir Padrino has said

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has accused the Western-backed opposition of attempting a coup in the country, and condemned widespread rioting in the wake of President Nicolas Maduro’s election victory.

Protests erupted after the national electoral authority declared victory for the incumbent president on Monday. Maduro's opponent Edmundo Gonzalez has claimed he was the rightful winner. He accused the government of vote rigging and urged thousands of his supporters to take to the the streets.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Padrino accused the demonstrators of “acts of sabotage” and destruction of official buildings, including a hundred electoral centers and offices of the National Electoral Council (CNE).

According to the minister, these “expressions of hatred and irrationality” are a part of a “preconceived plan” by US-backed political groups. The anti-Maduro protesters are attempting to carry out a coup with the support of “North American imperialism and its external and internal allies,” Padrino said.

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”We are witnessing fascism at its maximum expression, of an international structure that is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to discredit the extraordinary demonstration of civility that the Venezuelan people showed on the last election day,” he claimed.

While pledging that any coup attempts will be quashed, he called for dialogue and urged all political forces to follow the laws of Venezuela and take the “path of democracy.”

“As is well known, history has reliably demonstrated that the path of violence does not lead to anything positive,” Padrino warned.

The CNE announced on Sunday that with 80% of ballots counted, Maduro had secured more than 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for his only rival, Gonzales. All other opposition candidates had withdrawn and backed Gonzales.

Addressing his supporters at a CNE event where he was proclaimed the winner, Nicolas Maduro mocked the opposition, which he said “cries fraud” at every election.

Maduro has won a third consecutive six-year term, having first taken office in 2013 following the death of President Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan president said his re-election would bring peace and stability.