‘President-elect’: Venezuelan opposition calls for global recognition of Edmundo González Urrutia

The Venezuelan opposition is betting on international recognition of Edmundo González Urrutia as “president-elect,” despite the proclamation of the re-election of Nicolás Maduro amid allegations of fraud.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 elections, without showing the detailed table-by-table count as required by law. He argued that his systems had been hacked, which was dismissed by experts and the opposition, which for its part claims to have proof of the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, against whom there is an arrest warrant for “conspiracy.”

“The world knows that Edmundo González is the president-elect and that Maduro was defeated by a landslide,” said María Corina Machado in a virtual forum with the U.S. organization Americas Society/Council of the Americas based in New York.

“We have reached a point where we need to move forward, as I said, and this is a moment when Edmundo González must be recognized as the elected president of Venezuela,” added the opposition leader, who spoke from hiding in Caracas.

The United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries do not recognize Maduro’s reelection but have been careful to use the term “president-elect” for González Urrutiaalso sheltered.

In Europe, for example, countries agree in not recognizing Maduro’s proclaimed electoral victory, but without reaching unanimity in attributing the electoral triumph to the opposition.

We have reached a point where we need to move forward, as I said, and this is a moment when Edmundo González must be recognized as the elected president of Venezuela.

A worrying precedent is the widespread recognition that Juan Guaidó obtained as “interim president” in 2019, after Maduro’s first re-election the previous year: the leader – now in exile – was given control of vast resources abroad but never managed to control real power, much less the fall of the leftist ruler. He vanished four years later.

The United States then launched a series of sanctions against Venezuela, including an oil embargo that has been relaxed in recent years.

With the current electoral scenario, Washington said it is considering “options” against Maduro.

Meanwhile, efforts by Brazil and Colombia to reach a peaceful solution are fading. The powerful Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, denied a meeting between Maduro and the presidents of those countries to mediate the crisis.

‘Justice into one’s own hands’

Maduro’s proclamation as the winner sparked protests across the country that left 27 dead, 192 injured and 2,400 arrested, including more than a hundred minors, although 86 teenagers have already been released on bail.

The president blames Machado and González for the violence and has called for both to be imprisoned.

“You have to understand the nature of the regime,” Machado said. “Maduro feels he can kill people, make people disappear, detain peo
ple without anything happening… He has to be held accountable for the crimes he has committed, and he has to understand that the world will not just look the other way, which is what happened before.”

The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into Venezuela for possible crimes against humanity following the repression of protests in 2017.

Meanwhile, the authorities are searching for González Urrutia, who is wanted by the courts for “disobedience of laws”, “conspiracy”, “usurpation of functions” and “sabotage”.

The arrest warrant against him also received international condemnation.

The focus of the investigation is a website that the opposition led by Machado fed with copies of more than 80% of the voting records that, they say, serve as proof to demonstrate a landslide victory for their candidate.

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirms the summons or arrest warrant in force for Mr. González Urrutia to be interviewed and confirms that he is wanted, that he must present himself and be brought to justice,” reiterated the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, in a press conference this Thursday.

From the statements made by the prosecutor today it was clear that Edmundo González Urrutia does not have sufficient constitutional guarantees to go to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

His lawyer, José Vicente Haro, met with Saab the day before and gave him a written statement justifying his absence.

“From the statements made today by the prosecutor, it was clear that Edmundo González Urrutia does not have sufficient constitutional guarantees to go to the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” Haro told reporters on Thursday.

“In general, the aim of this investigation (…) is to remove Edmundo González Urrutia from the game through a criminal process so that he cannot enforce the results reflected in the voting records,” added the lawyer.

Saab, meanwhile, said: “He declares himself a judge and takes justice into his own hands and rules that he is innocent… and, most seriously, he announces that he will continue to be in contempt.”