A Venezuelan judge has issued an arrest warrant for the opposition's former presidential candidate as part of a criminal investigation into the results of a disputed election. The warrant was issued after the candidate failed to appear three times to answer questions from prosecutors. Authorities accuse the candidate of various crimes including conspiracy, falsifying documents, and usurpation of powers.
The disputed election took place on July 28, with ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declaring President Nicolás Maduro the winner. However, the lack of transparency in the election process has drawn international condemnation against Maduro and his allies. The opposition claims to have obtained more than 80% of vote tally sheets, which they say show that the opposition candidate won by a wide margin.
The opposition leader and the former presidential candidate revealed what they claimed were the results shown in the tally sheets and published them online. Despite international pressure to release a breakdown of results, Maduro requested the country's high court to audit the electoral process. The court, consisting of Maduro loyalists, certified Maduro's victory and dismissed the opposition's claims as false.
The former presidential candidate, who has not made any public appearances since the election, has questioned the prosecutors' actions and accused them of lacking due process guarantees. The candidate's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An analysis of the tally sheets released by the opposition indicates that the opposition candidate received significantly more votes than the government's official declaration. The processed tally sheets showed the opposition candidate receiving more votes on a large number of receipts compared to Maduro.
The situation continues to unfold as the political tensions in Venezuela remain high following the disputed election results.
