Chavez protege Maduro bans opposition's protests of his election

CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuela's President-elect Nicolas Maduro says he won't permit a march to protest a presidential election opponents say is illegitimate.

Maduro's announcement follows a report by his chief prosecutor that seven people were killed and 61 injured across the country in protests after opposition candidate Henrique Capriles demanded a recount.

Prosecutor Luisa Ortega did not provide any details about the deaths or injuries or how they occurred.

Maduro said during a national broadcast that he is prohibiting Wednesday's march to show "a firm hand, to counter fascism."

Capriles' supporters heeded his call and protested peacefully Tuesday outside regional offices of the national electoral council in provincial capitals including Merida, Barinas and Maracay.

Maduro, a longtime foreign minister to Chavez, rode a wave of sympathy for the charismatic leader to victory, pinning his hopes on the immense loyalty for his boss among millions of poor beneficiaries of government largesse and the powerful state apparatus that Chavez skillfully consolidated.

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Maduro, a former union activist and bus driver with close ties to Cuba's leaders, constantly alleged that Capriles was conspiring with U.S. putschists to destabilize Venezuela and even suggested Washington had infected Chavez with the cancer that killed him.

Capriles' main campaign weapon was to simply emphasize "the incompetence of the state" in handling the world's largest oil reserves.