In support of the presidential aspirant for the Plataforma Unitaria(PU) Edmundo González Urrutia, Venezuela's opposition party Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) presidential candidate and the governor of Zulia state, Manuel Rosales, announced the withdrawal of his candidacy on April 19. 

Rosales took this decision to achieve unity with the PU as it will nominate González for the upcoming Venezuelan presidential elections to be held on July 28th, the UNT party said on its social media platforms. 

"Today we honor our word before the country and the world, with a gesture that consolidates the unitary candidacy of Edmundo González," Rosales said in a post on X. 

El 25 de marzo salvamos la ruta electoral. Hoy honramos nuestra palabra ante el país y el mundo, con un gesto que consolidó la candidatura unitaria de Edmundo González para derrotar a Nicolás Maduro el próximo 28 de julio. Como siempre hemos dicho, el futuro de Venezuela tiene… pic.twitter.com/8r3SsrXtoV

— Manuel Rosales (@manuelrosalesg) April 20, 2024

74-year-old Edmundo González Urrutia, part of PU's leadership, is a diplomat who served as Venezuela's ambassador to Algeria between 1991 and 1993 and to Argentina between 1998 and 2002. He also contributes to the newspaper El Nacional.  

He has been previously accused of making misogynistic and racist remarks as well as other remarks against sectors included by the Bolivarian Revolution in political participation and representation.

Maduro: CIA, opposition, imperialism seek to manipulate 2024 elections

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro asserted on February 4 that imperialism, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the right-wing know that they will lose in the 2024 presidential elections in the country, so they seek to manipulate the results.

Maduro stated, in his weekly program With Maduro and More, that on February 4th, there was a popular mobilization that was concealed by international media. The mobilization called Caravan of Bolivarian Fury remembered the military rebellion led by Commander Hugo Chávez on February 4, 1992, and expressed support for the current government. On that note, the President emphasized that "the revolution is advancing, nothing will stop us, and nothing and no one can defeat the Venezuelan people."

Maduro then stressed, "We are determined to defend the right of the Venezuelan society to peace," pointing out that he and his team guarantee peace, recovery, and the gradual restoration of rights and the empowerment of the Venezuelan youth.

Regarding the relationship with the Republic of Chile, Maduro clarified that the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force of the National Civil Defense and Disaster Management Organization of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is ready to support extinguishing forest fires that have resulted in casualties, expressing solidarity with Chile.