After the presidential election in Venezuela, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, Arrest warrant against the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia was issued.
The ex-diplomat is accused, among other things, Accused of usurpation of office, incitement to disregard laws, conspiracy and sabotageas stated in the ruling of a court in Caracas that is responsible for terrorism cases. The judge thereby granted a corresponding request from the pro-government public prosecutor.
Maduro commented on the arrest warrant against González Urrutia in his own weekly television program on Monday, saying: “No one in this country is above the law, above the institutions.”
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Where González is currently located is unclear. He last appeared in public on July 30 at a demonstration in Caracas. After that, he addressed his supporters several times in video messages. Most recently, he ignored three summonses to appear at the Attorney General’s Office, where he was supposed to testify on the charges against him.
By threatening the president-elect, they are only bringing us closer together.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado
“They have lost all touch with reality,” opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote on X. “By threatening the elected president, they are only bringing us closer together and strengthening the support of Venezuelans and the world for Edmundo González. Serenity, courage and determination. We are moving forward.”
Opposition claims election victory
After the election on 28 July, the party-line electoral authority had Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian head of state who has ruled since 2013, was declared the winnerHowever, it has not yet published the detailed results. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for their candidate González.
According to its own statements, the opposition has the detailed result lists from more than 80 percent of the voting districts. According to the report, González received 67 percent of the votes and Maduro only 30 percent.
The USA and several Latin American countries have already recognized the former diplomat’s election victory. The European Union and the Organization of American States also doubt the official election results.
Self-proclaimed interim president Guaidó also in the crosshairs
Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was already not recognized by many countries. The then parliamentary president, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president in 2019, but was unable to assert himself in the country – mainly because the military was behind Maduro. This meant that he was able to simply sit out the protests at the time.
© AFP/FEDERICO PARRA
An arrest warrant was also issued against Guaidó in October last year. The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of, among other things, high treason, usurpation of office and embezzlement. The 41-year-old now lives in exile in the USA.
Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions. More than 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to the UN, more than seven million people – about a quarter of the population – have left the country in recent years because of poverty and violence.
Shortly before the arrest warrant was issued against González US authorities seized a Maduro plane for violating sanctions. The Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft was confiscated in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the US state of Floridathe Justice Department in Washington said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plane was bought illegally through a shell company for 13 million dollars and smuggled out of the United States “to be used by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies.” The government of the South American country condemned the seizure of its aircraft. (dpa/AFP)
