Now, let's turn now to Venezuela and the ongoing protests following the disputed presidential election. Thousands have taken to the streets in recent days, clashing with riot police in the capital of Caracas. Hundreds have been arrested. At least 11 people have died, and dozens have been injured. Police have surrounded the Argentine embassy, where six opposition figures are sheltering. International pressure has mounted on Venezuela's President Maduro to release proof of his election victory. By the official counts, he won the election, picking up 51% of the vote. The opposition, a presidential candidate, Edmando González, getting 41%. But the opposition has called the count a scam. The Qatar Center, which provided international observers for the election has said the voting did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic. President Maduro has accused the opposition of attempting to carry out a coup. Now, for more on this story, we're joined by journalist Mariana Zuniga and the Director of the Latin America Program at the Wilson Center, Benjamin Gadan. Mariana, I'll come to you first. We've seen protests on the street since Maduro claimed a victory. What's the latest? What's the opposition saying?

Well, yeah. Hi. Thanks for the invitation. The opposition has rejected the results. This week, they were able to prove that Edmundo González won the election collecting 80% of the voting tabulations. They are saying that they are going to keep fighting for Venezuela's freedom and that they understand people's indignation, but they ask for people to be calm and firm at this moment.

The Icada Center, which is a known NGO, was invited by Venezuelan officials to monitor the election on Sunday's presidential poll. They've said the election cannot be considered a democratic. Can you tell us more about what they've said?

Last night, the Icada Center, that was one of the few international observers who were allowed inside the country said that the elections did not meet the international standards and cannot be considered democratic. It is important to say that they are saying that because they were here and they sent people to the voting centers. Also because the Venezuelan government is not releasing the data. They are not releasing the Northern Venezuelan government, nor the National Electrical Council, haven't released the tally from any of the machines. They promised to do said that on Sunday, but they haven't done it. The latest in Venezuela is that two hours ago, Maduro went to the Supreme Court in Caracas, and he asked them to do an audit for the result. But the Carter Center just said that the top court won't provide any independent audit of the Contraprisional election, and that is because this court is full of Maduros loyalists as well.

Benjamin, I want to bring you into the conversation and get your take on this Venezuelan election. In the lead up to the polls on Sunday, many polls that were done showed that the opposition was far in the lead, which has obviously antagonized the opposition when the results show something incredibly different.

Yeah, it's not just the polling before the election, which showed an extraordinary lead for the opposition, 20 to 30 percentage points in some cases, but there's actual data from so-called quick counts from independent observers, and there are exit polls as well. It appears that all the data and any independent-minded observer has concluded that this election was stolen.

Benjamin, in a previous role at the White House, you interacted with the Maduro government. What insights can you give us into his calculus, perhaps, in allegedly subverting the democratic electoral process?

I think he made a miscalculation here. The Maluro regime has sought legitimacy international. It wants to be treated as a normal government. It wants access to the United States market and to European markets. It wants to have a normal oil sector, which before this conflict had been the main driver of its economy. And it has the capacity to tilt the playing field sufficiently in its calculation that it thought it could actually win this election. Again, it didn't turn out that way. Instead, it resorted to the egregious and transparent theft that has sparked the protests in international isolation it is now enduring.

Mariana, just time for one more quick question. What's going to happen now?

We actually don't know. This morning when I went out, I saw the streets of Caracas a little bit empty with business that were closed. I saw long queues in supermarkets. People were stocking up, making what we call compras nerviosas, nervous shopping. I think there's a lot of uncertainty about what's going to happen next. These days, we have seen heavily military presence on the streets, including colectivos, which are armed paramilitary groups who support the government. We have seen this protest before in Venezuela. This is not the first time, but I think people believe that this time could be different, although they know they have to be patient because it won't be from one day to the other.

Okay, thank you very much, both of you. Mariana Zuniga, a journalist and director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center. Benjamin Ghennam.