CARACAS — Venezuela’s Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, has accused the far-right opposition of attempting a coup d’état with backing from the United States and its allies, according to statements made at a recent press conference.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the alleged coup is being orchestrated by “right-wing extremists supported by imperialist forces—North American imperialism and its allies.” He asserted that President Nicolas Maduro has intervened to prevent the coup, with the support of the Venezuelan populace and democratic institutions. “We will crush this coup once again. No one can face the [Venezuelan] people and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces,” Padrino Lopez declared in the presence of senior army officers.

The defense minister also addressed recent disturbances, describing them as acts of violence involving “foreign-trained criminals and mercenaries” tasked with executing severe disruptions within the country. He reported that many involved had been identified, arrested, and brought to justice.

The context of these accusations follows the presidential election held on July 28 in Venezuela, where, according to the National Electoral Council’s report, after processing 80% of the protocols, President Maduro received 51.2% of the votes, amounting to 5,150,092 votes. His main challenger, Edmundo Gonzalez, garnered 44.2% with 4,445,978 votes. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has disputed the election results, proclaiming Gonzalez the winner.