You are listening to News Hour from the BBC World Service with me Sean Lay.

Welcome to the programme.

Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition which claims it won last month's presidential election

are rallying in Caracas, the capital, and in other cities inside and outside of the country. Social media sites have displayed images of what appear to be riot police detaining people

on the streets.

A counter demonstration involving supporters of President Nicholas Maduro, who the election authorities say won with a shade under 52% of the vote,

is also taking place in the capital.

In Caracas, opposition's borders waived Venezuelan flags in what was a festive atmosphere and also chanted

Lebertad freedom. Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader was prevented from running in the presidential election

and who's been in hiding ever since arrived on the back of a campaign lorry before appearing on the truck and

telling the crowd that the opposition would not abandon the streets. She was

scathing in her criticism of the government.

When this regime saw it was defeated and their scheme was discovered, they chose the most cruel of all politics.

Well, around 40 minutes ago I spoke to Victor Amaya from the newspaper and website

Tall Kual which is critical of the Maduro government he just returned from

reporting on the opposition rally and described to me what he'd seen.

Well I saw a bunch of people claiming to have the proof that the opposition won the presidential elections held it into July 28th.

I saw a lot of people with their families wearing the Venezuelan flag everywhere

and saying I want my vote to be respected especially with some euphoria. When Maréco Dénal Chado, the opposition leader, arrived at the place, she has been in hiding for the last two, three fearing for her life as she has said and so

people were very excited to see her actually in front of them they have been gathering

support from the international community to say and to prove that they supposedly won the election by landslide.

Can you hazard a guess an estimate of how many people were there at the time you were there?

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