The 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, and condemned widespread rioting in the wake of President Nicolas Maduro’s election victory.
Protests erupted across the South American country after the national electoral authority declared victory for the incumbent president on Monday. The runner-up, Edmundo Gonzalez, has claimed he was the rightful winner, and thousands of his supporters have taken to the streets, denouncing alleged vote rigging.
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…