Opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was visibly demonstrated on the streets of Caracas Wednesday, as protesters sought to reignite anti-Maduro sentiments in light of his increasing control following a disputed election last month. The protests mark a month since the controversial July 28 vote, where Maduro was declared the winner, despite strong indications that opposition candidate Edmundo González had actually secured victory by a significant margin, leading to international criticism of the election’s transparency.

Throughout recent weeks of sporadic protests, the opposition has consistently called for transparency in the election results, demanding the release of data from each polling station to expose alleged electoral fraud by Maduro. The latest protest was dubbed “Voting records kill sentence,” highlighting the discrepancy between thousands of tally sheets collected by the opposition and a recent ruling by the loyalist Supreme Court affirming Maduro’s win.

In response to the opposition’s actions, Maduro’s supporters also organized rallies on Wednesday, pledging to protect what they view as Maduro’s legitimate victory and denouncing any efforts to stoke unrest in the country. Amidst the heightened tensions, Maduro has increased reliance on security forces to maintain his authority, appointing a staunch ruling party figure, Diosdado Cabello, as the new interior minister with oversight of the police, signaling a potentially harsher stance against dissenters.

Cabello’s new role has sparked concerns of a more severe crackdown, as over 2,000 individuals, including journalists, politicians, and students, have already been arrested in connection with anti-government activities. The escalation of arrests was a focal point at a convened meeting of the Organization of American States in Washington, where the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presented a report condemning human rights abuses in Venezuela’s electoral process.

The Commission urged Venezuelan authorities to halt actions causing fear among the population, such as arbitrary detentions and violence by pro-Maduro groups, emphasizing the need to restore democracy and uphold the will of the Venezuelan people for democratic change.