Arrest Warrant Issued for Venezuela Opposition Candidate
Adreanna Dones
Staff Writer
Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, issued an arrest warrant for opposition figure Edmundo González following the controversial July 28 presidential election. González, a well-known political opponent and former diplomat, is charged with conspiracy, forging documents, and usurping authority in relation to the election, says the BBC. Even though he appeared to be ahead in the polls prior to the election, Nicolás Maduro’s supporters dominated the National Electoral Council (CNE), which pronounced Maduro the winner after a “narrow victory,” according to Foreign Policy. Since his disappearance the day after the election, González has gone into hiding and has not responded to three prosecutors’ summonses, leading to an issued warrant for his arrest.
Thousands of tally sheets, or actas, which are critically important to confirm the election results, are currently at the center of the disagreements surrounding the true president of the new term, according to. The opposition maintains that these documents demonstrate González received over two times the number of votes as Maduro, releasing over 23,000 tabulation sheets to the public, which covers around 80 percent of the votes cast. Regardless of this, the government’s claim that Maduro won 51 percent of the vote has not yet been proven by official precinct-level results, as recorded by Foreign Policy. The CNE continues to refuse to make this data public, fueling further allegations of electoral fraud and aggravating the political crisis. Maduro’s opposition has demanded an extensive audit. According to the U.S. Department of State, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice’s rapid certification of Maduro’s victory ignited even more accusations of electoral corruption.
Venezuelan government under Maduro has drastically increased repression in regard to such developments; since the result of the election, over 2,400 people have been taken into custody, and at least 24 deaths have been verified, many of which took place amid protests over the alleged voting infringements, says Foreign Policy. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports, that the government’s unjust imprisonment of journalists, human rights advocates, and those perceived to be part of the opposition, have been called out and criticized by human rights organizations. The international community has criticized the excessive use of force against peaceful protestors as well as the reports of forcible disappearances and illegal casualties.
Independent specialists who were following the election identified numerous violations, including criminalization of human rights activism, widespread corruption, and the absence of an independent judiciary that has the expertise to investigate abuses. These experts have forewarned the government’s activities, which target anyone who questions the regime, are constituting a systematic pattern of breaches of human rights. The U.S. Department of State is deeply concerned about the accounts of unlawful detentions, coercion, and repression of political opponents that have become ubiquitous, putting journalists, activists, and civilians alike at greater risk.
The lack of clarity around the election and the government’s subsequent crackdown has led to severe criticism from the United States, the European Union, and other Latin American states. González was publicly declared the winner by the U.S. and over 20 other countries, reports Foreign Policy, and these nations are imposing diplomatic pressure on the Maduro government to agree to a peaceful transfer of power. Moreover, resolutions encouraging electoral transparency, and a fair assessment of the results were additionally approved by the Organization of American States. However, the Maduro administration is unwavering, carrying on with its campaign of subjugation and censorship despite international disapproval.
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