Venezuelan authorities seek to arrest opposition presidential candidate
Posted: September 3, 2024 - 3:00am

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan authorities on Monday sought an arrest warrant for the opposition's former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, just over a month after election officials declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the disputed election that his opponents say he lost.

The prosecutor seeking the warrant in its request to a judge focused on terrorism-related crimes cites various charges against Gonzalez, a former diplomat, including conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers.

Ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared Maduro the victor of the July 28 presidential elections hours after polls closed. They did not show any of the detailed results to back up their claim they had offered in previous presidential elections. The lack of transparency has drawn international condemnation.

The opposition, however, managed to obtain more than 80% of vote tally sheets, which are printed by every electronic voting machine, and said they show Maduro lost by a wide margin against Gonzalez.