Edmundo Gonzalez, former presidential candidate of Venezuela, plans to return to his country and lead as its president after being forced to leave the country in September by authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.
Gonzalez, the candidate for president of Venezuela’s Unitary Platform in the July 2024 elections, said he would return to his country on Jan. 10 to assume his position as “elected president,” Reuters reported.
“I am going to return to Venezuela as soon as possible when we restore democracy in our country … I am going on Jan. 10 to take office as elected president,” Gonzalez said to the media.
Gonzalez faced Maduro in the country’s most recent presidential election. Maduro claimed victory in the election even though Gonzalez was considered the rightful winner. His opposition party provided proof of voter tallies in the country allegedly showing Gonzalez won. However, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, a government entity believed to be a corrupt ally of the Maduro regime, declared the incumbent the victor, claiming he received 51% of the vote without providing any evidence. Exit polls also showed Gonzalez had a significant lead at the time.
Maduro has refused to cede power and called accusations that he lost the election part of a rogue conspiracy fueled by fascists.
Weeks of protests in the country calling for Maduro to step down followed the election with Gonzalez participating in many demonstrations. In return, Maduro’s regime issued an arrest warrant for the presidential candidate, and he was forced to flee Venezuela in early September. Gonzalez was charged with multiple crimes, including conspiracy and falsifying documents, among other charges, according to the Associated Press. He arrived in Spain with his wife last month and was granted asylum.
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Much of the international community has condemned Maduro for his refusal to admit defeat. The United States, Argentina, and countries in the European Union all issued letters and statements objecting to Maduro’s actions after Venezuela’s election.
In September, the United States sanctioned 16 government officials believed to be complicit in the country’s election fraud and helping Maduro remain in power. The Treasury Department took action against Venezuela’s National Electoral Council and Supreme Tribunal of Justice members who ignored requests to release legitimate election results. They were accused of violating citizens’ rights “through intimidation, indiscriminate detentions, and censorship.”