Venezuela is facing significant political turmoil as it grapples with the aftermath of a massive blackout that left 90% of the country without electricity. The blackout, which occurred on August 30, 2024, has been attributed by President Nicolás Maduro to alleged sabotage by the opposition, adding fuel to the already high political tensions following the disputed presidential elections on July 28. As power begins to be restored in major cities like Caracas, Maracaibo, and Valencia, the government is investigating the incident while citizens face chaos in hospitals and long queues at gas stations.
This blackout marks the largest power outage since the infamous 2019 crisis and comes at a time when the opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia is under scrutiny from the government, facing potential arrest for his involvement in publishing electoral records. The situation is compounded by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemning the government's actions against human rights defenders and activists, highlighting the ongoing repression in Venezuela. With power restoration still intermittent, citizens are forced to gather in public spaces to charge their devices, illustrating the daily struggles faced amid the political crisis.
