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                     7 Dead in Venezuela Election Protests

   Venezuela`s chief prosecutor says seven people have been killed in
   widespread protests following acting President Nicolas Maduro`s narrow
   victory in Sunday`s presidential election.
   Attorney General Luisa Ortega said 61 people were injured in the
   post-election demonstrations, while 135 people have been arrested.
   Ortega did not give details about the deaths or injuries or how they
   occurred.
   Supporters of opposition leader Henrique Capriles took to the streets
   Monday after Venezuela`s election commission declared Mr. Maduro -- the
   late President Hugo Chavez`s handpicked successor -- the winner of
   Sunday`s vote.
   Mr. Maduro was reportedly elected by a razor-thin margin of 50.7
   percent to 49.1 percent for Capriles, who is the governor of Miranda
   state. Capriles has refused to recognize the results, demanding a full
   recount and urging his supporters to protest the outcome peacefully.
   Monday night, demonstrations turned violent as Capriles followers
   banged pots and pans and burned trash bags as they marched through the
   streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, demanding a recount. They
   were confronted by police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to
   disperse them. Opposition protests were also reported in several
   provincial cities.
   Mr. Maduro has responded to the unrest by accusing the opposition of
   seeking a coup. He said Tuesday that he will not allow demonstrators to
   hold a march planned for Wednesday in Caracas.
   Both the United States and the Organization of American States have
   echoed opposition demands for a recount. White House spokesman Jay
   Carney says a recount is necessary and prudent to ensure Venezuelans
   have confidence in the results.
   Capriles says his campaign has received more than 3,200 complaints of
   irregularities in the election.
   At the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Maduro held a double-digit lead
   in the polls over Capriles, who lost decisively to Mr. Chavez in last
   year`s presidential election. But Mr. Maduro`s lead shrank considerably
   during the campaign, as Capriles accused the Chavez and Maduro
   governments of doing little to solve Venezuela`s economic problems,
   food shortages and soaring crime rate.
   Mr. Maduro has pledged to continue what he calls the Chavez revolution,
   which supporters say used oil wealth to lift millions out of poverty.
   Mr. Chavez died last month after a two-year battle with cancer.
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   /1642772.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/7-dead-in-venezuela-election-protests/1642772.html