2024 Venezuelan presidential election protests

2024 Venezuelan protests
Part of the protests against Nicolás Maduro
and the aftermath of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election
Protests following 2024 presidential election
Date28 July 2024 – 10 January 2025 (5 months, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Caused by
Goals
Resulted inProtests quelled
Parties
Lead figures
Casualties
Death(s)23

Protests followed the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election on 28 July, in response to voter fraud and other irregularities during the election cycle, as part of the 2024 Venezuelan political crisis. The election and unrest occurred in the context of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela.

Statistical analyses by multiple organizations indicated that the election was won convincingly by Edmundo Gonzalez but those results have not been recognized by incumbent Nicolás Maduro; the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), an alliance of opposition parties, released vote tallies at the precinct level indicating that González won by a wide margin, while the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) announced an unsubstantiated result, without any precinct-level tallies, stating Maduro won. Both candidates claimed victory, while many countries recognized González as the winner.

Demonstrations to uphold the results of the election, along with vigils for political prisoners, occurred worldwide after the July election. Spontaneous protests broke out immediately after the election, while later rallies were organized by the Venezuelan opposition; Maduro claimed the opposition was encouraging a coup and has charged demonstraters with terrorism, while initiating an unprecedented crackdown. Maduro's security forces have gone door-to-door seeking to arrest protesters, poll workers and members of the opposition in what Maduro has referred to as Operation Tun Tun, and armed bands of Maduro supporters known as colectivos have joined security forces in repressing dissent. As of 14 August 2024, at least 2,200 persons are reported to have been arrested, and 25 killed; Maduro has announced plans to continue to seek the arrest of dissenters, and to rehabilitate two prisons to house those detained.

The repression has been widely condemned by international groups; Amnesty International penned an open letter requesting urgent action from the International Criminal Court (ICC), on the basis of an ongoing ICC investigation of possible crimes against humanity under Maduro's regime.