Venezuela’s Public Ministry has initiated a criminal investigation into presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and opposition leader María Corina Machado, as announced by the country’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Monday. The investigation was prompted by a public letter posted on social media by the two opposition figures, urging the military and police to align 'on the side of the people'.
Following the recent presidential election in Venezuela, the electoral body, perceived to be aligned with the regime, declared Nicolas Maduro as the winner without providing concrete evidence of his victory. In contrast, the opposition, which had shown strong support in pre-election polls, claims to have won by a significant margin.
The Public Ministry has accused González and Machado of falsely declaring the election results and emphasized that only the National Electoral Council has the authority to make such announcements. The investigation will focus on alleged offenses including usurpation of functions, dissemination of false information, incitement to disobey the law, incitement to insurrection, association to commit crimes, and conspiracy.
While the opposition has not yet publicly responded to the investigation, Machado previously asserted that González had won by a large margin and shared purported election results online. The authenticity of these results has not been independently verified.
Several nations, including the US, have refused to acknowledge Maduro’s victory until the full vote count is disclosed. The US government has stated that it believes Maduro lost the popular vote, a sentiment echoed by other countries.
The election process in Venezuela has been marred by allegations of irregularities, with opposition members facing arrests, key leaders being barred from running, and reports of restricted access to the vote count for opposition witnesses. Overseas Venezuelans also encountered challenges in casting their votes.
Post-election protests erupted across Venezuela, leading to the detention of numerous opposition supporters by the government. Maduro has issued warnings of sending these detainees to high-security prisons.
Amid calls from foreign governments to uphold human rights in Venezuela, Pope Francis issued a statement urging all parties to engage in dialogue to address the ongoing crisis.
Under Maduro’s leadership, Venezuela has experienced a severe economic downturn, marked by shortages of essential goods and hyperinflation, prompting millions to seek refuge elsewhere.
