Q24N (AFP) Caracas, Venezuela – A Venezuelan court on Monday, September 2, 2024, issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo González Urrutia, who claims victory in the July 28 presidential election in which current President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner amid allegations of fraud.
The prosecutor’s office requested that he be arrested for alleged crimes related to the election, including “disobedience of laws” and “conspiracy.”
The United States – which also did not recognize the result – earlier seized a plane that was being used by the president when it was undergoing maintenance in the Dominican Republic.
“It is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences of his misgovernment of Venezuela,” said a spokesman for the National Security Council.
Maduro was proclaimed re-elected for a third six-year term, until 2031, by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which did not publish the details of the vote count as required by law. The result was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), not only by Washington but also by the European Union and several Latin American countries.
The opposition led by María Corina Machado claims that González’s victory is demonstrated by the copies of more than 80% of the voting records that they published on a website, which the Chavistas dismiss and claim are forged documents.
That website is the focus of the investigation that led to the arrest warrant for González, 75 years old and in hiding since July 30.