CARACAS, August 1. /TASS/. Public order is returning to the Venezuelan capital and other cities after attempts by far-right extremists to stoke violence and carry out a coup, according to a TASS reporter at the scene.
The riots were set off by far-right parties led by presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, which do not recognize the victory of incumbent President Nicolas Maduro in the July 28 election. However, the government’s actions and the massive backing of Maduro by supporters of the Bolivarian Revolution, the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, progressive parties, social movements and the country's armed forces prevented the far-right opposition from achieving its goals.
Police and the armed forces that were deployed to provide security at the election were able to prevent the spread of violence. According to the country’s prosecutor general, 1,062 people were taken into custody after attacks on offices of the National Electoral Council, setting fire to cars and other terrorist acts.
The prosecutor general said the measures brought "relative calm" to the streets of the cities. Major shopping malls, banks, grocery stores, pharmacies, cafes and newsstands are open again in Caracas, albeit only until four or five in the afternoon. Public transportation also resumed, including the services of all but one subway lines.
Protesters no longer block central streets, and residents of the capital in central neighborhoods were going about their business or taking strolls as in the pre-crisis days. However, the situation remains tense in some poorer neighborhoods, where stores remain closed most of the day and street stalls stopped working. The situation here could be remedied by Maduro's decision on Tuesday to have the armed forces and police patrol the streets.