Above photo: Edmundo González. Archive.
Edmundo González faces charges including usurpation of functions, forgery and conspiracy.
The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office has issued an arrest warrant for former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González.
On Monday, state prosecutor Luis Ernesto Dueñez requested that the Court of First Instance with competence over terrorism-related matters approve the order to arrest the US-backed politician for the charges of usurpation of functions, public document forgery, instigation of law-breaking, conspiracy, sabotage and association to commit crimes.
Later in the day, Judge Edward Briceño approved the warrant and tasked the CICPC investigative police unit with executing it.
Venezuelan judicial authorities moved to demand González’s detention after the latter ignored three summons for questioning in recent days.
The July 28 presidential elections saw the country’s National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaim President Nicolás Maduro the winner with 52 percent of the vote compared to 43 percent for González. Maduro will serve a third six-year term from January 2025 to January 2031.
Post-electoral controversy and violent unrest saw the Venezuelan Supreme Court intervene and ultimately ratify the CNE results after an “expert review” of evidence supplied by several candidates, political parties and the electoral body itself. The CNE has not published broken-down totals to date.
The hardline opposition rejected the results and set up a parallel website with purported electoral tallies that had González winning the contest by a huge margin. However, investigations have cast doubt on the authenticity of the documents, while González and his campaign refused to appear before the Supreme Court and submit their own electoral records.
US-backed political groups have repeatedly refused to accept electoral defeats, often turning to violent protests in response.
González’s whereabouts are presently unknown, with his absence from recent anti-government mobilizations fueling speculation that he might have left the country.
On Wednesday, his legal representative José Vicente Haro held a meeting with Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab at the latter’s office in Caracas.
Haro delivered an affidavit from González justifying his non-compliance with the questioning summons, arguing that it was not owed to a “non-recognition of institutional jurisdiction” but rather to avoid “intensifying social tensions.” The right-wing politician also alleged that he had no responsibility for the opposition’s parallel results website.
The day before, Haro had told reporters that the ex-diplomat remained in Venezuela but in hiding, and that he ruled out asking for asylum in a foreign embassy. The attorney pledged to “provide all the collaboration required” with judicial authorities, including eventual search warrants for the former candidate’s residence.
While González has not directly reacted to the arrest warrant, his main backer María Corina Machado vowed that it would only increase the opposition’s unity and “global support” for the former candidate.
Far-right Machado has been the opposition’s main figure in recent times. She was barred from running in the elections after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal against her 15-year ban on holding public office. Venezuela’s maximum judicial authority pointed to corruption allegations, actions endangering state assets and endorsement of economic sanctions against the country.
The 74-year-old González likewise received backing from the European Union’s top foreign policy representative Josep Borrell and OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro.
For its part, Washington reiterated its support for the opposition politician and condemned the “unjustified arrest warrant.”
“Rather than recognizing his election loss and preparing for a peaceful transition in Venezuela, Maduro has now ordered the arrest of the democratic leader who defeated him overwhelmingly at the polls,” Assistant State Secretary Brian Nichols wrote on X/Twitter.
Brazil and Colombia issued a joint statement calling the judicial warrant “concerning” and an obstacle to a “peaceful, dialogue-based solution” between Venezuelan political forces.
Since the election, Caracas has on multiple occasions rejected foreign efforts to interfere in the Caribbean nation’s internal affairs. The Maduro government suspended diplomatic relations with a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina and Chile, who joined US efforts to challenge the recent electoral outcome.
In contrast, Venezuelan allies such as Russia and China have demanded respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty. The regional ALBA alliance likewise offered its backing for the Maduro administration and condemned international meddling against the country at a recent summit.
Updated on September 4 following González’s representative’s meeting with the Attorney General.