Venezuela’s top prosecutor is launching a criminal investigation into opposition leaders Edmundo González and María Corina Machado. The investigation is prompted by their call for the Venezuelan armed forces not to recognize Nicolás Maduro as re-elected president and to stop repressing protesters, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab wrote in a statement on X.
Opposition leaders published a letter Monday calling on the military and police to side with the people and abandon their support for Maduro. “We appeal to the conscience of the military and police to side with the people and their families,” wrote rival candidate González and party leader Machado.
They also do not recognize the election results. The opposition claims to have collected data from more than 80 percent of the 30,000 polling stations across the country, which would show that the opposition won with about 70 percent of the votes. Due to the denial of the election results and “inciting the police and military officials to disobey the law,” the Venezuelan prosecutor is starting a criminal investigation into the duo.
Disputed election results
With the start of the third term of the autocratic president Maduro, a new political and humanitarian crisis is looming. Demonstrators who protest en masse against the election results are violently suppressed. At least eleven people have been killed and thousands have been arrested.
Maduro’s re-election is also being questioned by the European Union, the G7 and the United States. They are asking Maduro to share evidence of his election victory. Under international pressure, Maduro claims to be able to provide this soon. Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote earlier on X that the Netherlands strongly condemns the violence and threats against peaceful demonstrators and opposition members.
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