The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro has intensified his attacks against prominent opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalezto whom accused of promoting post-election violence and seek to destabilize their government, suggesting that they should confront prison sentences of at least 30 years.
During a press conference held at the presidential palace, Maduro confronted directly to both opposition leaders, demanding their capture and accusing them of being responsible for acts of violence including the deaths of military personnel.
This escalation of rhetoric comes in a context of growing tension following the recent elections, in which Maduro was declared the winner, although the opposition and international observers have questioned the legitimacy of the process.
Maduro has also defied international demands for a transparent audit of the election results, instructing the Supreme Court of Venezuela, controlled by loyalists to his regime, to carry out the review of the votes.
This judicial body has been criticized for its lack of independence, issuing decisions favoring the government on multiple occasions.
The election result has cast doubt on the possibility of the United States lifting economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela, keeping the country isolated from international capital markets and complicating the resolution of an external debt that amounts to approximately 150 billion dollars.
Maduro’s accusations have been refuted by Gonzalez and Machado, who claim to have sufficient evidence to prove that Gonzalez is the true winner of the election.
The Carter Center, the only reputable international observer entity that monitored the elections, said the elections “cannot be considered democratic.”
The White House, through its spokesman John Kirby, has expressed growing international impatience and the need for transparency on the part of the Venezuelan electoral authority.
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