Army stands by Venezuela's Maduro despite opposition

The Venezuelan military on Tuesday reiterated their "absolute loyalty" to President Nicolas Maduro amid controversy over his recent election win.

Opposition seeks to 'undermine our unity,' military says 

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's defense minister and army head, said the military strongly rejects "the desperate and seditious approaches" that "seek to undermine our unity and institutionality, but will never succeed." 

The comments are a rejection of calls coming from the opposition to intervene after the presidential election on July 28, where incumbent Maduro won a third consecutive term against former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

The opposition has rejected the electoral results, with Western countries such as the US and Germany also not recognizing Maduro's win or expressing skepticism. China, Iran and Russia, however, have lauded Maduro's victory.  

A letter released Monday by Gonzalez and opposition figure Maria Corina Machado called on the armed forces "to stand at the side of the people" amid protests and mass arrests in recent days following the election.

Venezuela's attorney general announced a criminal investigation into Machado and Gonzalez after the letter was published. 

Machado: 'Fear is not going to paralyze us' 

Earlier, Machado was considered the top candidate to face off against Maduro in this year's election. In July 2023, she was banned from politics by the comptroller general of Venezuela, which accused her of ties with Juan Guaido, an opposition politician living in exile. 

In a message posted on social media platform X on Tuesday, Machado called on the opposition movement to stay resilient amid persistent threats from the Maduro government.

"Fear is not going to paralyze us, we are going to overcome it as we have done until now and we will not leave the streets," she said. 

wd/rmt (Reuters, AFP)