Gonzalez vows return to Venezuela in January to assume office

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Oct 2024 22:06

The Venezuelan far-right opposition leader has declared his intention to return to Venezuela on January 10, claiming the presidency as the rightful "elected president".

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Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia speaks during an event organized by the opposition political party "Encuentro Ciudadano", in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP)

Venezuelan far-right opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia announced on Friday that he plans to return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume office as the "elected president".

Speaking at a business event in Spain, Gonzalez made his first public remarks since fleeing Venezuela, stating that his stay in Spain was temporary and that he considered himself the legitimate president-elect.

"I am going to return to Venezuela as soon as possible, when we restore democracy in our country ... I am going on Jan. 10 to take office as elected president," he told reporters.

Venezuelan authorities refute Gonzalez Urrutia's claims of 'coercion'

Last month, Gonzalez Urrutia claimed that he had been coerced into signing a letter, distributed by Venezuelan authorities, in which he conceded defeat to Nicolas Maduro in the presidential election.

In the letter, dated September 7 and addressed to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, Gonzalez Urrutia stated, "I respect" the CNE electoral council’s declaration of Maduro as the winner of the July 28 election.

However, the 75-year-old retired diplomat, now in Madrid where he was granted asylum after weeks in hiding in Venezuela, later posted a message on X, in which he claimed that he was forced to sign the letter in exchange for being allowed to leave the country.

According to Gonzalez Urrutia, Maduro’s aides brought the letter to him at the Spanish Embassy in Caracas, and he was given an ultimatum: "I had to either sign it or deal with the consequences."

He described the experience as "very tense hours of coercion, blackmail and pressure. At that point, I considered I could be of more use free than if I were imprisoned."

But in an interview for teleSUR, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez provided details about the letter, affirming that Gonzalez Urrutia signed it with his own pen.

Rodriguez noted that the process involved a commitment to keep Gonzalez Urrutia’s letter "in reserve". He added that the only condition for delivering the letter was that Gonzalez Urrutia sign every page of it, ensuring no future claims that Venezuelan authorities tampered with its content.

The senior Venezuelan official further noted that the former candidate personally chose to hand the letter over to him.

"Some people close to him (Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia) contacted me and raised the possibility of having some exchanges with Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia for his intention to apply for political asylum in the Kingdom of Spain," he explained, adding that he was requested to meet with the opposition candidate on September 6.

Rodriguez also highlighted that the political asylum process, fully documented by the Venezuelan government, was a two-party negotiation involving Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and the Spanish government.

This negotiation resulted in Venezuela providing the required safe conduct for Gonzalez Urrutia's departure, along with the approval for a Spanish Air Force aircraft to facilitate his journey.

The big picture

The political crisis in Venezuela has intensified since authorities declared incumbent President Maduro the winner of the July 28 election. The Western-backed opposition rejected the results, claiming that Gonzalez Urrutia had won by a wide margin.

Several countries, including the United States, the European Union, and multiple Latin American nations, have refused to recognize Maduro’s victory until Caracas provides a detailed breakdown of the election results.

However, the country’s electoral authority has been unable to provide a full breakdown of the election results, attributing the delay to a cyberattack on its systems.

In the aftermath of the election, Venezuelan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez Urrutia due to his continued claims that he was the legitimate victor.

Before leaving the country, the far-right candidate had been in hiding for a month, ignoring three summonses to appear before prosecutors.

Western-backed post-election riots in Venezuela have resulted in 27 deaths and 192 injuries, with the government reporting around 2,400 arrests.