- Title: Maduro hails election a “successâ€, police station goes up in flames
- Date: 30th July 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JULY 30, 2017) (REUTERS) STREET VIEW OF FIREFIGHTERS AT SCENE WHERE POLICE STATION CAUGHT FIRE FIREFIGHTERS OUTSIDE GARAGE DOOR WITH SMOKE IN THE AIR SMOKE COMING OUT OF STATION WHERE FIREFIGHTERS ARE OUTSIDE FIRE TRUCK ON STANDBY FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVING AT SCENE FIREFIGHTERS GATHERED AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL COUNCILLOR, ALFREDO JIMENO, SAYING: "They (police) have been working there and then all of a sudden they leave, 120 days after protests and nothing happening, they leave and the place catches fire as you can see." FIREFIGHTERS OUTSIDE POLICE STATION THAT HAS SMOKE BILLOWING OUT OF GARAGE DOOR ONLOOKERS FIREFIGHTERS ON FOOTPATH OUTSIDE STATION FURNITURE AND DOCUMENTS FROM POLICE STATION STREWN ON FOOTPATH OUTSIDE FIREFIGHTERS WALKING OUT OF POLICE STATION THROUGH GARAGE DOOR AMONGST SMOKE MAKESHIFT ROADBLOCK PUT UP BY PROTESTERS PROTESTERS GATHERED ON ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTESTER WHO WISHED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, SAYING: "From here the resistance makes a call out to all Venezuelans not to be scared and to go out and to denounce this fraud. It's a fraud." PROTESTERS ON ROAD EMPTY STREET WITH DEBRIS ACROSS IT AS BARRICADE
- Embargoed: 14th August 2017 00:52
- Keywords: Venezuela constitutional super-body constituent assembly election Nicolas Maduro fire
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0026RWSG1Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hailed his constituent election day a "success" on Sunday (July 30) despite reports of violence that killed at least seven people and saw a police station catch fire.
Maduro, widely disliked for overseeing an unravelling of Venezuela's economy, has promised the assembly will bring peace by way of a new constitution after four months of opposition protests in which about 120 people have been killed. But opposition parties sat out the election, saying it was rigged to increase Maduro's powers, a view shared by governments including those of Colombia, Argentina and the United States.
In what could be the spread of more aggressive tactics, a bomb exploded in Caracas earlier in the day and injured seven police officers. Also, a fire at a Caracas police station has been linked to public discontent but some critics of the government believe it is a government tactic to tarnish the opposition. No officers were reported to have been in the station.
The opposition has vowed to redouble its resistance and U.S. President Donald Trump has promised broader economic sanctions against Venezuela after the vote, suggesting the oil-rich nation's crisis is set to escalate further. The opposition estimated participation was at around a paltry 7 percent by mid-afternoon, but warned the government was gearing up to announce some 8.5 million people had voted.
Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader narrowly elected in 2013, dismisses criticism of the assembly as right-wing propaganda aimed at sabotaging the brand of socialism created by his mentor and predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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