By The Opinion
08 Sep 2024, 22:55 PM EDT
On Sunday, a plane took Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, rival of leftist leader Nicolás Maduro in the July 28 presidential election, to Madrid, seeking political refuge following an arrest warrant against him in his country.
Faced with the fact, The US government considered that the departure from Venezuela of the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in that country, Edmundo González Urrutia, is a consequence of the “anti-democratic” measures of the Nicolás Maduro regime.
“His departure from Venezuela is a direct result of the anti-democratic measures that Nicolás Maduro has unleashed since the election against the Venezuelan people, including against González Urrutia and other opposition leaders,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Just last August, Blinken himself said that, “Following the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States, and especially to the Venezuelan people, that Edmundo González Urrutia won the majority of votes in Venezuela’s presidential election.”
Therefore, The opposition leader, who is in Spain, remains in his opinion “an indisputable voice for peace and democratic change in Venezuela,” and the United States supports him in his call to continue “the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy.”
González Urrutia requested asylum, considering that he was suffering political and judicial persecution in Venezuela after the presidential elections of July 28, whose official victory was awarded to Maduro by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
The United States, he said, “strongly condemns Maduro’s decision to use repression and intimidation to cling to power through brute force rather than acknowledge his defeat at the polls.”
“In the past six weeks, Maduro has unjustly arrested nearly 2,000 Venezuelans, used censorship and threats to silence opposition to his government, and violated Venezuelan laws to remain in power against the will of the Venezuelan people,” he charged.
Blinken reiterated his country’s request “to stop the repression and immediately release all those unjustly detained,” and said that his government will continue to work with its international partners to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela and ensure that Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions.
“Venezuelans voted for change. Maduro’s post-election repression has killed or imprisoned thousands of people, and the winning candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, remains the best hope for democracy. We must not allow Maduro and his representatives to cling to power by force. The will of the people must be respected,” he concluded.
For its part, The Organization of American States (OAS) also accused Maduro’s government of having “forced the exile” of opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia.
“The regime has not only failed to produce the slightest evidence of the electoral result (…), but has forced the exile of candidate Edmundo González,” said the OAS General Secretariat.
*With information from EFE.
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