Leader of the Venezuelan opposition Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claimed victory in last year's presidential election against incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, met with President Biden on Monday seeking support in removing the incumbent from office.
Biden and González Urrutia met at the White House, where the latter, who represented Venezuela's main opposition coalition in the country's presidential election in July, tried to rally support for his efforts to remove Maduro from office by Friday, when the South American country's next presidential election takes place. The semester begins.
“We had a long, productive and cordial conversation with President Biden and his team,” Gonzalez Urrutia told reporters. “We have, of course, thanked the United States government for the support it has given us in this fight for democratic recovery in Venezuela. This is a commitment that we take with us and will continue to follow until the last day of the President's visit.” government.”
White House officials said in a statement that the two leaders met to discuss joint efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.
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Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is pictured leading a demonstration against the official election results declaring the victory of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Christian Hernandez)
“President Biden emphasized that the world was inspired by the millions of Venezuelans who courageously voted for democratic change in the deeply flawed Venezuelan presidential elections on July 28, as evidenced by the compilation of vote tallies that indicated that González Urrutia received the largest number of votes.” “An insurmountable difference.” Margin,” the statement read. “The two leaders agreed that there is nothing more important to the success of democracy than respecting the will of the people, as expressed through a transparent and fair process,” the statement said. Responsible electoral processAnd that the victory of González Urrutia's campaign should be honored by a peaceful return to democratic rule.
“The two leaders also expressed their deep concern over the indiscriminate and unacceptable use by Nicolas Maduro and his representatives of repression against peaceful demonstrators, democratic activists and civil society,” the statement continued. “President Biden He reiterated his support for Venezuela's democratic aspirations and stressed the United States' commitment to continuing to hold Maduro and his representatives accountable for their repressive anti-democratic actions, including by working closely with democratic allies in the hemisphere and around the world.
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President Biden met with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia on Monday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh/File)
On Saturday, Gonzalez Urrutia began a tour of the Americas, stopping in Uruguay and Argentina.
Before its stop in Washington, Gonzalez Urrutia's team called on Venezuelans in the region to gather outside the offices of the Organization of American States on Monday.
As Gonzalez Urrutia continues to search for support to remove his opponent from office, the National Assembly called on Maduro to be sworn in for a sixth term on Friday. The swearing-in will take place five months after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election, although the Associated Press reported that the council was filled with loyalists to Maduro's party.
Unlike past presidential elections, election officials did not provide a detailed vote count. But the opposition obtained tally papers from more than 80% of the country's electronic voting machines and posted them online. Along with the publication, the opposition said that the census lists show that Gonzalez Urrutia won the elections with twice the number of votes that Maduro received.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos/File)
As such, the United States and most European governments rejected the official election results and considered González Urrutia the legitimate winner.
In fact, the Carter Center, which was invited by the Maduro government to monitor the presidential elections, said that the tally lists posted online by González Urrutia were legitimate.
The Associated Press reported that Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello was asked about Gonzalez Urrutia's plans, and he responded by insulting and attacking the politician, even threatening him with arrest.
Cabello insisted that Maduro would be sworn in as president on Friday.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello (Federico Parra/AFP/Archive)
“A coward,” Cabello said of the retired diplomat, whom he accused, without providing any evidence, of being a CIA agent. “He has neither the courage nor the disposition. … Mr. González Urrutia knows that as soon as he arrives in Venezuela he will be arrested.”
Gonzalez Urrutia fled Venezuela to Spain in September after a judge issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with an investigation into the publication of electoral vote tally lists.
Last week, the Venezuelan government announced a reward of $100,000 for anyone who provides information about his whereabouts.
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Gonzalez Urrutia told reporters on Monday that his campaign has been in contact with President-elect Trump's team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
