Henrique Capriles, Venezuela’s opposition leader, has called off a march by his supporters in the capital, Caracas, saying his rivals were plotting to “infiltrate” the rally to trigger violence.
The announcement came Tuesday after demonstrations turned violent a day earlier. Seven people were killed in the violence after the electoral council ruled out Capriles’ demands to recount votes.
“The illegitimate one and his government ordered that there be violence to avoid a vote count! They are the ones responsible,” he said.
Capriles had planned a peaceful march to the offices of the electoral authority to present the opposition’s demands for a full vote recount.
The country remained on edge as Nicolas Maduro, the president-elect, accused the opposition of orchestrating a coup and banned protests against results of Sunday’s election.
Capriles who has repeatedly demanded a recount, responded on his Twitter account, blaming Maduro and his government for the violence.
In a separate development, the country’s chief prosecutor announced an investigation into the post-election violence.
Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Caracas on Tuesday, said Capriles’ supporters were alleging “vote fraud.”
“The situation seems to be getting more tense by the minute,” she said.
Read more: Aljazeera.com
