The Ongoing Election Controversy in Venezuela: Sworn Testimony Ordered from Former Opposition Candidate Edmundo González
Venezuela’s government announced on Friday that it will compel former opposition candidate Edmundo González to provide sworn testimony as part of an ongoing investigation into what they deem as attempts to sow panic in the country by contesting the results of last month’s presidential election.
This move is the latest in a series of efforts by Nicolas Maduro’s government to crack down on opponents who claim to have decisively defeated the self-proclaimed socialist leader.
Maduro continues to insist that he won the July 28 election by over 1 million votes, despite evidence to the contrary provided by González’s campaign. The U.S., United Nations, and other entities have discredited the election, with Maduro’s leftist allies also urging him to disclose the voting records.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab accused González of trying to illegally usurp responsibilities belonging to the National Electoral Council during a press conference on Friday.
Despite threats of arrest from ruling party members, authorities have refrained from detaining González and another opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who has gone into hiding.
The Biden administration condemned a recent ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which certified Maduro’s victory. The court claimed that the opposition’s tally sheets were forged, a statement disputed by the U.S. State Department.
Opposition volunteers’ meticulous collection of voting tallies from polling booths nationwide played a crucial role in exposing discrepancies in the election results.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called for transparency and expressed concerns over human rights violations in Venezuela.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has withheld recognition of Maduro as the winner until a breakdown of the election results is made public.
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AP Writer Edith Lederer at the United Nations, Courtney Bonnell in Washington, and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report. Goodman reported from Miami
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