The opposition leader and presidential candidate is facing investigation after calling on the military and police to ‘take the side of the people’.
A criminal investigation has been launched in Venezuela against opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and his leader Maria Corina Machado for demanding that someone other than President Nicolas Maduro be declared the winner of the election and allegedly inciting subordination and rebellion.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced the investigation on Monday after two opposition members sent a written appeal to the military and police hours earlier about Maduro and protesters who came out in large numbers to defend their votes in the July 28 election.
Saab said in a written statement posted on X that the two had “falsely declared the winner of the presidential election that was different from the winner declared by the National Electoral Council, the only body qualified to do so” and that they had openly “incited police and military officers to violate the laws”.
Amid public pressure for Maduro to release detailed, election-level records to bolster his claim of victory, the National Electoral Council said on Monday it had submitted all of these records to the Supreme Court for certification, as requested by the president — but not publicly.
The opposition says Gonzalez Urrutia was the rightful winner of last month’s election, which has plunged the oil-rich nation into a political crisis.
Several countries, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized González Urrutia as the winner, while others, such as the European Union, have refused to do so and have demanded the full publication of the voting record.
The disputed election sparked protests last week in which at least 11 civilians were killed, according to human rights groups.
“We appeal to the conscience of soldiers and police officers to take the side of the people and their families”, the opposition said in a statement, in which it offered “guarantees to those who fulfil their constitutional duty” in a potential “new government”.
The statement, signed by González Urrutia as “elected president”, also urged security forces to stop “repressing” opposition protests.
The government has reported the death of two soldiers in the clashes.
The opposition statement said top commanders “are aligned with Maduro and his nefarious interests, while you are represented by those who went to vote… whose will was expressed on July 28, and you know that”.
call for dialogue
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday called for dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition to resolve the election dispute.
“It is the commitment to peace that motivates us to bring the parties to dialogue and to promote understanding between the government and the opposition,” Lula said during a state visit to Chile, where he met President Gabriel Boric.
Maduro’s ally Lula, seeking a sensitive diplomatic balance, has urged his Venezuelan counterpart to publish the voting records to settle the dispute.
