A Venezuelan judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo Gonzalez, an opposition politician widely believed to have defeated President Nicolas Maduro in recent elections, on charges of crimes that could carry a life sentence if convicted.
Gonzalez, a 75-year-old retired diplomat, thrust himself into the center of Venezuela's political storm earlier this year when he agreed to challenge Maduro in the July 28 presidential election on behalf of banned opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Maduro then claimed victory without presenting any evidence, despite growing evidence suggesting the unpopular dictator was actually defeated in a major way by public anger over the economic collapse that sent millions fleeing the country.
Countries including Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have refused to accept Maduro's claims without the publication of detailed evidence, while the EU declared last week that the Venezuelan dictator “has no democratic legitimacy as president.”
The political crisis took another dramatic turn on Monday evening when it emerged that prosecutors were calling for Gonzalez to be arrested on charges including criminal conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.
The signed request, published on the prosecutor's Instagram account, was submitted by Prosecutor Luis Ernesto Dueñez Reyes to the judge of the Special Anti-Terrorism Court.
Machado, a prominent opposition leader running in Gonzalez's place, denounced the decision, accusing Venezuela's government of having “totally lost its sense of reality.”
“By threatening the next president, they only unite us further and increase support for Edmundo González among the Venezuelan people and the world,” she added on social media, urging opposition supporters to remain calm.
In an interview with the Guardian on the eve of the election in July, Gonzalez vowed to build a prosperous, democratic and peaceful country if he won. But the South American country has been plunged into deep uncertainty and unrest.
More than 1,700 people have been detained in two days of street protests sparked by Maduro's claimed victory. Maduro has given no indication he is ready to give up power ahead of the inauguration of Venezuela's next president on Jan. 10 and has accused Machado and Gonzalez of being part of a “fascist” foreign plot to overthrow him.
Human rights groups said Sunday that at least 86 young people arrested during the government crackdown have been released, but hundreds more have been transferred to maximum-security prisons and face terrorism charges. Several key associates of Machado and Gonzalez, including lawyer Perkins Rocha, one of Gonzalez's closest aides, have been arrested by secret police.
Gonzalez, who Maduro's hardline new interior minister publicly called a “terrorist traitor,” has not been seen in public in weeks and his whereabouts are unknown, while Machado has kept himself in hiding, though he has occasionally appeared at opposition protests.
