Venezuela on a knife-edge as opposition accuses Maduro of rigging election

Protests seen around country after results appear to dash opposition hopes of ending quarter century of chavista rule

• We are longing for change': Venezuela election sparks pots and pans protest

Nicolas Maduro's claim of victory in Venezuela's presidential election has brought the South American country to a hazardous standoff, with his thwarted opponents accusing him of rigging the election to remain in power, and many leaders in the region and beyond questioning the veracity and transparency of the vote.

Late on Monday, street protests were reported across the capital and all around the country, including in the states of Falcon, where demonstrators were filmed tearing down a statue of Hugo Chavez, and Portuguesa, where footage showed a group vandalizing a propaganda billboard featuring a photograph of Maduro and a slogan promising More Changes and Transformation".