A Venezuelan court has officially ordered the arrest of opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, escalating tensions in the ongoing political crisis following the disputed July 28 presidential election. González, who claims victory over incumbent Nicolás Maduro, faces multiple charges including ‘usurpation of functions’, ‘forgery of public documents’, ‘instigation to disobedience of laws’, ‘conspiracy’, ‘sabotage of systems’, and ‘association’.The arrest warrant comes after González, 75, failed to appear for three summons issued by the Public Ministry, the most recent being on Friday. The opposition leader cited concerns about the fairness of the process, stating that the Prosecutor General, Tarek William Saab, ‘behaves as a political accuser’ and that he was being pushed into a trial without guarantees of independence and due process.The charges stem from the publication of election results on the website ‘Resultados con VZLA’, maintained by the opposition coalition Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD). The website claims to have loaded 83.5% of the electoral acts, showing González as the winner, contradicting the official results declared by the National Electoral Council (CNE) which proclaimed Maduro the victor.This development has further intensified the political crisis in Venezuela, with opposition figures and some international actors questioning the legitimacy of Maduro’s declared victory. María Corina Machado, another prominent opposition leader, responded to the arrest warrant, saying, ‘Threatening the elected president only unites us more and increases the support of Venezuelans and the world for Edmundo González’.The situation remains tense, with concerns about potential further repression against opposition figures. According to some reports, Maduro has called for both González and Machado to be imprisoned, accusing them of inciting violence during post-election protests that allegedly resulted in 27 deaths, 200 injuries, and over 2,400 arrests.
Key points
- Venezuelan court orders arrest of opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia.
- González faces multiple charges related to publishing disputed election results.
- Opposition claims González won the July 28 election, contradicting official results.
- Arrest warrant escalates political tensions in Venezuela.
Contradictions👾While the government accuses González of various crimes, the opposition and some international actors view him as the legitimate winner of the election.
👾The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, but the opposition claims to have evidence showing González’s victory.
