Opposition leader González says he plans to return to Venezuela to assume power

Bloomberg News on Oct 4, 2024

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Exiled opposition leader Edmundo González said he will return to Venezuela for the start of the new presidential term in January.

González, a presidential candidate in July’s presidential elections, presented detailed proof from a majority of polling stations that showed him as winner with nearly 70% of the vote. He fled to Spain last month, saying he was only allowed to leave after being coerced into signing a letter recognizing Nicolás Maduro as the winner.

“I obtained the support of nearly 8 million Venezuelans who elected me on July 28,” González said from Galicia, Spain, after speaking at a democracy convention. “I am going on January 10 to be sworn in as Venezuela’s president elect.”

The 75-year-old opposition leader sought asylum in Madrid after hiding out in the Spanish and Dutch embassies in Caracas. Maduro has been cracking down on the opposition since it presented evidence that González had won the election, with almost 1,900 people remaining behind bars, including 150 political leaders.

Jorge Rodríguez, the head of the government-controlled National Assembly, reacted to Gonzalez’s remarks on his Telegram channel saying he was “cowardly and despicable.” Spain, he added, “will have to deal with him for the rest of his days.”