Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia disregarded a second summons to appear before prosecutors on Tuesday, as part of an investigation into his assertion that he was the legitimate winner of last month's presidential election. Gonzalez Urrutia, aged 74, who went into hiding shortly after President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner, had already ignored a first summons on Monday. The summons indicates that Gonzalez Urrutia is under investigation for alleged offenses including 'usurpation of functions' and 'forgery of public documents.'
The Unitary Platform opposition coalition has condemned the 'judicial harassment' of their candidate, who they claim won the election 'by an overwhelming majority.' The coalition stated on the X social network that the repeated summons 'constitute a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression,' and expressed concern over a potential arrest warrant for Gonzalez Urrutia. The retired diplomat, who was relatively unknown, became the last-minute presidential candidate after main opposition figure Maria Corina Machado was barred from running in the July 28 election and endorsed him.
Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner with 52 percent of the votes, but has withheld detailed results, citing hacking as the reason for corrupted data. The opposition released polling-station-level results that suggest Gonzalez Urrutia won with 67 percent of the vote. Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a Maduro ally, accused the opposition's website of 'usurping' the CNE's powers and demanded Gonzalez Urrutia explain his 'disobedience.'
Diosdado Cabello, the second-in-command in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), stated that 'whoever attacks the institutions, whoever attacks our people must assume their responsibility. Enough is enough.' He called on the 'organs of the judicial system' to make the necessary decisions regarding Gonzalez Urrutia. Gonzalez Urrutia was last seen in public at a protest two days after the election. Maduro has declared that both he and Machado belong 'behind bars.'
The announcement of Maduro's re-election led to protests that resulted in 27 deaths and nearly 200 injuries, with approximately 2,400 people arrested, according to authorities. Both the government and Machado have urged supporters to participate in rival demonstrations on Wednesday. The United States, the European Union, and several Latin American countries have refused to recognize Maduro's victory without detailed voting results. Observers suggest the outcome hinges on whether the international community can exert enough pressure on Maduro, who has managed to retain power despite sanctions following his 2018 re-election, which was also deemed fraudulent by numerous countries.
Since assuming power in 2013, Maduro has overseen an economic collapse that has driven over seven million Venezuelans to leave the oil-rich country, as GDP fell by 80 percent over a decade. Experts attribute this to international sanctions and domestic economic mismanagement.
