Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro, has launched an investigation into opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González for allegedly inciting insurrection.
The opposition leaders had called on security forces to support the people and disregard orders to suppress anti-government protests.
This move comes amid high tensions following the electoral authority’s declaration of Maduro’s win without releasing detailed voting results.
The opposition claims González won the election, citing uploaded voting tallies as evidence. The Washington Post’s review of 23,000 tally sheets suggests González received twice as many votes as Maduro.
The opposition published a statement declaring González the winner with 67% of the vote, contradicting the official result.
Saab accuses the pair of falsely announcing a winner and inciting officials to disobey laws, leading to a criminal investigation.
González and Machado have been in hiding, with Machado briefly emerging to address a rally, stating the Maduro government has “lost all legitimacy.” The European Union has urged Venezuela to stop intimidating the opposition, calling for an end to arbitrary detentions, repression, and violent rhetoric.
