The Venezuelan government has offered a reward of $100,000 (£81,000) for information leading to the arrest of exiled opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
he He fled the country in September He obtained political asylum in Spain after the Venezuelan authorities ordered his arrest, accusing Gonzalez of conspiracy and forging documents.
Gonzalez pledged to return to Venezuela before the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro next Friday, accusing the government of rigging the elections.
Shortly after the reward was announced, Gonzalez said he was traveling to Argentina to begin a tour of Latin America, where he will meet with Maduro's fierce opposition president, Javier Miley, on Saturday.
United Nations Human Rights Committee Venezuela was ordered to “refrain from destroying” the voting results From the presidential elections in July 2024.
The tally – a detailed official breakdown of votes from each polling station – was at the heart of the dispute over who won the election.
The National Electoral Council, allied with the government, declared incumbent President Maduro the winner, but failed to provide vote numbers to support his demands.
The opposition, which collected and published, with the help of accredited election witnesses, more than 80% of the voting results, says that these results prove that its candidate, Gonzalez, was the overwhelming winner.
Gonzalez was not well known in Venezuela when he registered as a candidate for the country's presidential elections last March.
He had never run for public office before and was not widely known in opposition circles.
But months after he decided to run for the top job, the unassuming former diplomat has outperformed Maduro in opinion polls.
Venezuela has seen divisions between government and opposition supporters deepen over the past decade or so.
Gonzalez's conciliatory tone during the presidential campaign was in stark contrast to that of Maduro, who warned of a “bloodbath” if Gonzalez wins.
Maduro re-elected in 2018 It was widely rejected As it is neither free nor fair.
