Protests in Venezuela after opposition rejects Maduro's claim of election victory

Anger amid claims the central election authority interfered with vote counting in 30,000 polling centres

Venezuelans confront police officers during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas. AFP

Demonstrators march in Caracas as they protest against the outcome of presidential elections. Bloomberg

Thousands of people descended on central Caracas on Monday evening as they headed towards the presidential palace. Reuters

Police hurdle a tear gas canister at protesters demonstrating against the election results in Caracas. AP

Molotov cocktails hit the ground in front of security forces during protests in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. Reuters

Police and protesters engage in scuffles in Caracas. AP

A protester aims a weapon during clashes with police in Caracas. AP

Police officers carry an injured colleague as they take cover during a protest in Caracas. AFP

Police officers and the Bolivarian National Guard clash with opposition protesters in Caracas. EPA

People take care of a protester affected by tear gas thrown by police during demonstrations in Caracas. AP

Venezuelans set a small police station on fire during a protest against the government in Valencia, Carabobo state. AFP

A demonstrator is detained by riot police in Caracas. Reuters

Mr Maduro arrives for a press conference to certify the election at the National Electoral Council in Caracas. Bloomberg

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado raises the hand of her party's presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez a day after the presidential election. Getty Images

Public prosecutor Tarek Saab speaks during a press conference in Caracas. Venezuela named Ms Corina Machado as a key suspect in its investigation of alleged electoral sabotage in Sunday's presidential vote. Bloomberg

Opposition members who sought refuge in the Argentine embassy thank supporters protesting against the election outcome in Caracas. AP

Opposition supporters protest against the official election results outside the Argentine embassy in Caracas. AP

A man writes in Spanish 'no more dictatorship, fraud' on a wall during a protest in Valencia, Carabobo state. AFP

Riots gripped several cities in Venezuela including the capital Caracas after presidential elections were contested by the opposition coalition running against President Nicolas Maduro.

Vote counting ended on Monday with sharply opposing interpretations of the result, with the opposition claiming to have secured 70 per cent of the votes. The central election authority, which government critics say is controlled by loyalists to Mr Maduro, claimed the incumbent won with 51 per cent of the vote, to the opposition’s 44 per cent.

Thousands of protesters in Caracas were met with riot police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets, AFP reported. Some protesters were seen throwing rocks at the police. The opposition claimed that the central election authority had interfered with vote counting in 30,000 polling centres.

While the election result has drawn accusations of rigging from the US, UK and Europe, the poll has also been widely rejected across Latin America, including from left-leaning governments in Chile and Colombia, who might otherwise be sympathetic to Mr Maduro’s hard-left government.

For over a decade, Venezuela’s economy has suffered sharp contractions which experts put down to policy and corruption, leading to the mass migration of about 7.7 million people.

Under Mr Maduro, who took over from Hugo Chavez on his death in 2013, Venezuela has become increasingly isolated in the continent, threatening military confrontation with Colombia. The nation is seen by the Chilean and Argentine governments as a threat to security in the region.

“We want freedom. We want Maduro to go. Maduro, leave,” Marina Sugey, 42, of the Petare area of Caracas, told AFP.

On Monday, the National Electoral Council certified Mr Maduro's re-election for a third six-year term until 2031.

He dismissed international criticism and doubts about the result of Sunday's voting, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted “coup d'etat” of a “fascist and counter-revolutionary” nature.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that a review of available voting records showed that the next president “will be Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,” who took her place on the ballot after she was barred by Maduro-aligned courts.