Maduro’s opponent goes on a “tour” to pressure neighbors not to recognize the Venezuelan president’s victory
After a , Nicolás Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo González (La Plataforma Unitaria Democrática, center-right), went to Uruguay for a meeting with President Luis Lacalle Pou (National Party, center-right) in the country’s capital, in Montevideo .
In a statement released after the meeting, the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called González a “elected president of Venezuela” and said “reaffirm your right to assume, this January 10th, the leadership of your country’s government”. Lacalle Pou, however, will hand over power to Yamandú Orsi (Broad Front, center left), on March 1st. It is not yet known how the new government will deal with the Venezuelan issue.
In July, Maduro for another term at the head of Venezuela. González came in 2nd. The result of the election, however, is contested by the opposition, and was not recognized by Brazil.
The opponent set aside the beginning of this year to go on a “tour” to pressure neighbors not to recognize Maduro’s victory.
In addition to Argentina, where he was welcomed by Javier Milei, and Uruguay, he must also go to Panama, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Brazil is not on the itinerary.
Watch images of González’s meeting with Milei (3min14s):
The diplomat has been there since September 2024. He sought refuge in the European country after the Venezuelan court against him for failing to comply with 3 subpoenas from the Public Ministry to clarify the dispute – although the documents are public in democratic countries with free elections.
VENEZUELA SOB MADURO
Venezuela lives under an autocracy headed by Nicolás Maduro, 62 years old. There is no freedom of the press. People can be arrested for “political crimes”. The OAS (Organization of American States) published in May 2021 (PDF – 179 kB) regarding “illegitimate appointment” from the National Electoral Council.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported abuses in (PDF – 150 kB), (PDF – 161 kB) and (PDF – 151 kB). Human Rights Watch in 2023 (PDF – 5 MB) states that 7.1 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014.
Maduro denies that the country lives under a dictatorship. He says there are regular elections and the opposition simply cannot win.
These are contested by the international community. The main opposition leader, María Corina Machado, was for 15 years in June 2023. The Venezuelan Supreme in January 2024. Spoke in “administrative irregularities” that were allegedly committed when she was a deputy, from 2011 to 2014, and for “corruption plot” for supporting Juan Guaidó.
Corina nominated her ally Corina Yoris to run. However, Yoris because of an alleged flaw in the electoral system. Diplomat Edmundo González took over.
Venezuela’s government-controlled National Electoral Council announced Maduro’s victory on July 28, 2024. The body on August 2, 2024, but did not release the ballots. The Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice, controlled by the current regime, said on August 22, 2024 that .
The Carter Center, a respected organization created by former US President Jimmy Carter, which runs elections in Venezuela “were not democratic”. Read the press release (PDF – 107 kB).
The results have subsequently been contested by several individual countries, such as the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
Brazil has not yet recognized Maduro’s election in 2024, but neither does it make tougher demands like other countries that point to fraud in the process. The president (PT) did not see anything unusual in the country’s election.
