While Venezuela’s capital Caracas mourned several deaths in Sunday’s constituent assembly elections, the border crossings with Colombia were reportedly quiet.
According to BBC News, at least two people were killed in Caracas on the day Venezuelans elect some 500 representatives with the mandate to change the country’s constitution.
According to La Opinion, the newspaper from Colombia’s largest border city Cucuta, the situation on the two border crossings in the city remained quiet Sunday morning in spite of increased diplomatic tensions.
Venezuelan authorities had closed the border crossing in Arauca, newspaper El Tiempo reported Saturday.
In Cucuta, hundreds of Venezuelan citizens protested in opposition to the administration of the increasingly autocratic Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuelans protest in Cucuta (Image credit: El Tiempo)
The day before, some 5,600 Colombians and 2,500 foreigners had crossed the border in Cucuta.
On Sunday morning, no more than 450 people crossed the border, Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said.
People crossing the Venezuela-Colombia border in Cucuta (Image credit: La Opinion)
While the situation along the border remained calm, Venezuela’s vote was precedes by increased diplomatic tensions and fears of an out-of-control exodus of Venezuelans or Colombian residents of Venezuela.
Maduro’s Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos said Friday his government would not recognize the result of the vote, which according to Venezuela’s opposition serves to further strengthen the position of Maduro.
Colombia will not recognize result of Venezuela assembly vote
In response, Maduro on Saturday said Santos had “lost his head” and accused the Colombian president of being a “slave of the North American empire,” in reference to friendly relations between Colombia and the United States.
Both civilian and military authorities in Cucuta had called a yellow alert in case irregularities would occur and attend the growing community of Venezuelans living in the border city.
Migration and military authorities meet in Cucuta (Image credit: Foreign Ministry)