Venezuela’s Edmundo Gonzalez, who claims to have won the country’s presidential election in July, met with US President Biden at the White House and then traveled to Argentina and Panama to prove his victory, which he claims was a landslide win.
Gonzalez, who is backed by the Venezuelan opposition, claims that the election results were rigged in favor of incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, who is set to be inaugurated on Friday. The Venezuelan opposition has called for massive street protests to peacefully demand Maduro not be inaugurated, citing his “mafia-style autocratic leadership” and the country’s economic woes, which have led to a significant number of people fleeing the country.
Gonzalez met with National Security Advisor Cong. Michael Waltz of Florida while in Washington, and Maduro has warned that Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns to Venezuela.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who claims to have won the election alongside Gonzalez, spoke with Fox News, stating, “We elected by a landslide, a good man and Edmundo Gonzalez. We have the proof of that victory, and the whole world knows it.”
The US government has expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela, with the State Department warning US citizens not to travel to the country due to Maduro’s history of detaining and jailing Americans without justification or due process.
Machado has appealed to President-elect Donald Trump, stating that Venezuela has a huge energy potential that will never be taken advantage of, and has offered to turn the country into an energy hub of the Americas, with a strong partnership with the US.