- Machado says arrest threats unite the opposition
- Government actions increase support for González.
- Opposition and others reject Maduro’s victory.
Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez amid a crackdown on opposition figures following the disputed July election.
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office requested the warrant on Monday, accusing Gonzalez of “crimes associated with terrorism.” Gonzalez has not responded to three summonses related to an investigation into an opposition website that published results from the contested election.
President Nicolás Maduro claims victory in the July 28 vote, but the official results have been met with widespread skepticism. The opposition asserts that Gonzalez, their candidate, won by a landslide, as indicated by tally sheets published on an opposition website shortly after the election.
In a letter posted on X on Monday, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that Gonzalez is suspected of “crimes associated with terrorism,” including “usurpation of functions, forgery of a public document, incitement to disobey the law, and conspiracy.”
Gonzalez has denied the accusations against him. The Prosecutor’s Office has also indicated that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is under investigation for similar alleged crimes.
Machado stated on Monday that the threat of arrest would only serve to unite the opposition.
“The government has lost all sense of reality. By targeting the president-elect, they only strengthen our unity and boost support for Edmundo González from Venezuelans and the international community,” she said.
“Serenity, courage, and determination. We press on,” Machado added.
Venezuela’s electoral body, dominated by regime allies, declared Maduro the election winner but has not yet provided detailed vote tallies. The opposition and several countries have withheld recognition of Maduro’s victory until the full results are released.
