Venezuela’s opposition candidate was forced to admit Nicolas Maduro as the election winner in July. Edmundo Gonzalez released a video message on Wednesday claiming that the Maduro regime pressured him into signing a letter stating he lost the election.
“I had to either sign it or deal with the consequences,” Gonzalez said on X on Wednesday.
The country’s presidential election has been mired in controversy ever since Maduro, the incumbent, was declared the winner by the country’s National Electoral Council. Gonzalez has been widely considered the real election winner, as official tallies reportedly showed Gonzalez with more votes than Maduro. However, Maduro refused to cede power, and, after weeks of protests throughout Venezuela, Gonzalez was eventually forced to flee the country. He is currently residing in Spain, where he was granted asylum.
Gonzalez detailed the precarious situation the Maduro regime forced on him. He recalled fearing for his life and explained if he didn’t sign a letter admitting defeat, there would be problems.
In the letter, Gonzalez stated that he respected Venezuela’s National Electoral Council’s decision to declare Maduro the winner. It was addressed to National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez with a date of Sept. 7, according to reports.
Gonzalez categorized the letter as a compromised statement caused by “coercion,” multiple outlets reported. He explained that signing the letter under duress was part of a strategy that would ensure his safety, which would be more beneficial to the political movement against Maduro than if he was held in custody as a political prisoner.
“There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail, and pressure,” Gonzalez said.
“At that point, I considered I could be of more use free than if I were imprisoned,” he said.
After Gonzalez’s statement was released, Jorge Rodriguez, the head of the National Assembly of Venezuela, and political ally of Maduro, claimed Gonzalez’s letter was genuine and that the former presidential candidate wrote his signature on his own accord without any threats or pressure.
“If you signed under pressure, how is it that one of your daughters still lives in Venezuela peacefully, with her family, as regular Venezuelans?” Rodriguez posed as a theoretical question.
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Additionally, Rodriguez threatened to make recordings of conversations between Gonzalez and himself public, which would supposedly refute all of Gonzalez’s claims. Rodriguez said he would give Gonzalez 24 hours to retract his assertions.
Despite these threats, it does not appear Gonzalez is planning to do so.
In his video message on X, he referred to himself as “president-elected of millions and millions of Venezuelans who voted for change, democracy and peace.” He vowed to uphold that pledge and “fulfill that mandate.”