Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo González, the presidential candidate who has been recognized as the winner of the disputed July election against Nicolás Maduro. The move marks an escalation in the Maduro regime's crackdown on the country's opposition.
On Monday, the public prosecutor's office announced the arrest warrant, accusing González of "crimes associated with terrorism," including "usurpation of functions, forging a public document, instigation to disobedience of the laws, [and] association to commit a crime and conspiracy." The charges follow González's failure to respond to three summonses related to the government's ongoing investigation into the contested election.
Maduro was declared the official winner of the July 28 election by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), securing a third consecutive six-year term. However, the outcome of the election has been disputed by the opposition and remains unrecognized by much of the international community.
According to the CNE, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, Maduro allegedly won 51 percent of the votes, with González receiving 44 percent. But the opposition contends that these figures are fabricated, pointing out that Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela refused to publish the official results.
In response, the opposition released its own election data, claiming that González won against Maduro by a significant margin. "Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened," González said at a press conference after the elections.
Despite attempts by Maduro's regime to block access to voting centers, the opposition managed to review the votes of around 80 percent of the 30,000 voting machines. Their findings, published online for the world to see, support that Maduro stole the election.
According to the opposition's results, González won the election with 67 percent of the votes, compared to Maduro's 30 percent. Several world leaders, including the United States, have recognized González as the legitimate winner and called for transparency from the Maduro regime.
Facing mounting pressure, Maduro requested Venezuela's high court to audit the electoral process—a move criticized by foreign observers who argue that the court is too closely tied to Maduro to conduct an impartial review. On August 22, the court concluded that the election results published by the opposition were false.
Following this decision, the prosecutor's office launched investigations into González and other opposition figures. After González ignored three summonses, the prosecutor's office warned last Thursday that an arrest warrant would be issued, citing "risk of flight."
González had dismissed the summonses, citing a lack of due process and asserting that the charges against him are baseless. He said he would not subject himself to questioning "without specifying in what condition he is expected to appear" and what crimes he has allegedly committed.
In a state television broadcast, Maduro lashed out at González, saying: "This man has the nerve to say he doesn't recognize laws, he doesn't recognize anything. What's up with that? That's unacceptable….Citizens agree that laws have to work and that officials do their job."
González and the opposition deny any wrongdoing, including the accusations brought against him by the prosecutor's office. He has been in hiding since July 29, the day after the elections.
"Maduro has lost all touch with reality," said opposition leader María Corina Machado on Monday, whom González replaced on the ballot after Maduro barred her from running in the elections. "The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement."
"Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our quest for freedom," she added.
Maduro's disputed victory has ignited waves of mass protests that have lasted for weeks, resulting in at least 27 deaths and 192 injuries. Additionally, over 2,400 people have been arrested as Venezuelan authorities launch a crackdown on opposition members and protesters who speak out against Maduro's regime.
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