Venezuela’s main opposition candidate left the country on September 8 for Spain
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, left), said on Thursday (19.Sep.2024) that Edmundo González Urrutia (Democratic Unitary Platform, center-right), opposition candidate in the July 28 elections, called for “clemency” to leave Venezuela on September 8th for Spain.
“It makes me ashamed that Mr. González Urrutia, who asked me for clemency, does not keep his word and alleges his own ineptitude and his own cowardice in trying to save who knows what.”, declared Mature.
Edmundo González said on Wednesday (18.Sep) that he had been blackmailed and coerced into signing a document recognizing Maduro’s victory in the July elections in order to leave Venezuela and seek exile in Spain.
The CNE (National Electoral Council), which is directly linked to the Venezuelan government, declared Maduro’s victory in the July 28 elections. The opposition speaks of electoral fraud and says that the winner was González.
Maduro called his opponent “duckling”, a rooster that is not fit to fight.”In the end, he turned out to be a ‘paturuco’”he said. “No one can claim his own ineptitude in self-defense.”he continued. “González Urrutia, no one can allege his own cowardice and his own betrayal of his followers in self-defense”, he added.
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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 (Organization of American States) 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 held on July 28, 2024 are contested by part of the international community. The main opposition leader, Maria Corinawas barred in June 2023 from holding public office for 15 years. The Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld the decision in January 2024. It 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 run. However, Yoris was unable to formalize his candidacy due to an alleged flaw in the electoral system. The diplomat Edmund Gonzalez assumed the role of being the main opposition candidate.
Venezuela’s government-controlled National Electoral Council announced Maduro’s victory on July 28, 2024. 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 would not be released.
The Carter Center, a respected organization created by former US President 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 subsequently challenged by European Union and by several countries individually, such as 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 harsher demands like other countries that point to fraud in the process. President Lula even said he saw nothing 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, it stated that they needed to reconsider their positions on Venezuela. It also disagreed with the leaders’ proposals to resolve the impasse, such as holding a new election and granting a general amnesty. Read the full of the document (PDF – 2 MB).
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