Opponent left the country after having an arrest warrant issued by the court for refusing to testify about election records
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, left), said this Monday (September 9, 2024) that he respects the decision of Edmundo González Urrutia (Democratic Unitary Platform, center-right) to leave the country. The Chavista said he wishes him all the best in “new life” of his main opponent in the presidential elections of July 28.
The statement comes after González went into exile in Spain after facing an arrest warrant from the Venezuelan courts, which are controlled by Maduro allies. The Chavista opponent refused to to appear to testify about the publication of the electoral records, because, according to him, his physical integrity is not guaranteed to provide explanations to the regime.
“I can tell Ambassador González Urrutia, with whom I have been in conflict since July 29, that I understand the step he has taken and I respect him”Maduro said on Venezuelan state television.
Endorsing the result released by the CNE (National Electoral Council), which declared his victory, Maduro said that his campaign was conducted fairly and that the country is at peace.
The Chavista also stated that the opposition’s wishes “peace and harmony for the country” will be met and that the “peace will reign above all”. The opposition accuses fraud and
GONZÁLEZ’S EXILE
González arrived in Spain on Sunday (September 8) after being in hiding since July 30. He initially sought refuge in the Dutch embassy in Caracas before being transferred to the Spanish embassy on Thursday (September 5).
The operation to bring him out was organized over a period of 2 weeks, involving important people from Venezuela and Spain, including former Spanish Prime Minister José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero.
VENEZUELA UNDER MADURO
Venezuela lives under an autocracy led by Nicholas Mature61 years old. There is no freedom of the press. People can be arrested for “political crimes”. OAS published notice in May 2021 (PDF – 179 kB) regarding the “illegitimate appointment” of the National Electoral Council. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported abuses in October 2022 (PDF – 150 kB), November 2022 (PDF – 161 kB) and March 2023 (PDF – 151 kB). Report from Human Rights Watch disclosed in 2023 (PDF – 5 MB) states that 7.1 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014.
Maduro denies that the country is under a dictatorship. He says that there are regular elections and that the opposition simply cannot win.
The presidential elections carried out on July 28, 2024 are contested by part of the international community. The main opposition leader, Maria Corina, was prevented in June 2023 to hold public office for 15 years. The Venezuelan Supreme confirmed the decision in January 2024. He claimed “administrative irregularities” that were allegedly committed when she was a deputy, from 2011 to 2014, and by “corruption plot” for supporting Juan Guaidó.
Corina indicated the ally Corina Yoris to compete. However, Yoris was unable to formalize the application because of an alleged failure in the electoral system. The diplomat Edmund Gonzalez assumed the role of being the main opposition candidate.
The government-controlled National Electoral Council of Venezuela, announced on July 28, 2024 Maduro’s victory. The body confirmed the result on August 2, 2024, but did not release the ballots. The Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice, controlled by the current regime, said on August 22, 2024 that the ballots will not be released.
The Carter Center, a respected organization created by former US President USA Jimmy Carter, considered that the elections in Venezuela “were not democratic”. Read the full (in English – PDF – 107 kB) of the statement.
The results have been repeatedly contested by the European Union and several individual countries, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay. Brazil has not yet recognized Maduro’s election in 2024, but it has not made tougher demands like other countries that point to fraud in the process. The president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) even said he had not seen anything abnormal in the country’s election.
Human Rights Watch criticized Presidents Lula, Gustavo Petro (Colombia) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico) in August 2024. In a letter sent to the three, they stated that they needed to reconsider their positions on Venezuela and criticized the leaders’ proposals to resolve the impasse, such as a new election and a general amnesty. Read the full of the document (PDF – 2 MB).
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