The leader of the opposition in Venezuela, Edmundo González, said that his son-in-law was kidnapped this Tuesday (7) in Caracas, days before his promised return to the capital.
González, who received more votes than incumbent Nicolás Maduro in the July presidential election, according to voter records collected by the opposition, claimed in a post on X that his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was “intercepted by men hooded in black” and placed in a van as he took his children, ages 6 and 7, to their first day of school.
Tensions in the capital have been rising as González vows to return to Venezuela on January 10 to be sworn in as president, despite government threats to arrest him upon arrival. The Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello, even offered a reward of US$100,000 for information leading to González’s capture.
Maduro, who was declared the winner by the electoral authority without providing evidence, is expected to begin a third consecutive term in the South American country at the end of the week.
González, a little-known former ambassador before his 2024 presidential bid, has been carrying out a diplomatic blitz in the days leading up to Venezuela’s presidential inauguration, meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Argentina’s Javier Milei and Uruguay’s Luis Lacalle Pou last week. He is scheduled to travel to Panama to meet with President José Raul Mulino on Wednesday (8).
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