President Nicolas Maduro has faced mass protests following July’s disputed presidential election, with an arrest warrant being issued for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who claims to have rightfully won the election. The warrant was issued after Gonzalez failed to appear three times to answer questions regarding charges of conspiracy and falsifying documents related to the election. Maduro and other top government officials have called for the opposition to be jailed, stating that Gonzalez does not recognize laws. The opposition has denied any wrongdoing and is awaiting notification of the warrant.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner of the election, which has been disputed by the opposition and much of the international community. The US has even recognized Gonzalez as the true victor. The CNE, composed mostly of Maduro loyalists, claimed its website was hacked and the data corrupted, preventing the release of a breakdown of the results. The opposition has published its own results showing Gonzalez winning by a wide margin, and has secured tally sheets from a majority of voting machines. Maduro’s party has refused to publish its copies of the tally sheets.
Latin America analyst Pedro Brunelli stated that the arrest warrant for Gonzalez was predictable, as Maduro is attempting to cover up his loss by going after the winner. Gonzalez replaced Maria Corina Machado on the ballot last minute and has since been in hiding. The protests in response to Maduro’s victory declaration have seen casualties, with at least 27 people killed and 192 injured. Maduro has requested an audit of the electoral process from the high court, which foreign observers criticized for being too close to the government to produce an independent review. The court ultimately certified Maduro’s victory despite opposition claims of false vote counts.
Maduro has sought the arrest of Gonzalez and Machado on various charges including usurpation of public functions, forgery of a public document, and association with organized crime and financiers of terrorism. The opposition has expressed solidarity with Gonzalez and warned that threats against the President-elect will only lead to increased support from both Venezuelans and the international community. The situation in Venezuela remains tense as protests persist and the government cracks down on dissent. It is unclear how the ongoing conflict between Maduro and the opposition will be resolved, as both sides remain firm in their positions.
