By The Diary
Sep 08, 2024, 10:03 PM EDT
The United States government said on Sunday that the departure of former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González from Venezuela is due to the “anti-democratic” measures of President Nicolás Maduro.
“His departure from Venezuela is a direct result of the anti-democratic measures that Nicolás Maduro has unleashed since the election against the Venezuelan people, including against González Urrutia and other opposition leaders,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
González, 75, left Venezuela for Spain on Saturday night after the Maduro regime issued an arrest warrant against him.
The opposition leader arrived in the European country’s capital on Sunday accompanied by his wife on a Spanish Air Force plane, according to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his first statements leaked to the press, he said that his departure from Caracas “was surrounded by episodes of pressure, coercion and threats of not allowing my departure.”
In the statement, Blinken said that González remains “an indisputable voice for peace and democratic change in Venezuela,” and that the United States supports him in his call to continue “the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy.”
Maduro must be held accountable
Blinken noted that Venezuelans expressed “overwhelmingly and unequivocally their desire for democratic change” on July 28, adding that “the election results and the will of the people cannot simply be ignored by Maduro and Venezuelan electoral authorities.”
The Venezuelan electoral authority, although it declared Maduro the winner of the elections, has not provided evidence to certify the alleged triumph. The opposition, on the other hand, has published the electoral records that demonstrate González’s victory.
The United States, it said, “strongly condemns Maduro’s decision to use repression and intimidation to cling to power through brute force rather than acknowledge his defeat at the ballot box.”
“Over the past six weeks, Maduro has unjustly arrested nearly 2,000 Venezuelans, used censorship and threats to silence opposition to his government, and violated Venezuelan law to remain in power against the will of the Venezuelan people.”
Blinken reiterated his country’s request “to stop the repression and immediately release all those unjustly detained.” He reiterated that the Biden administration will continue to work with its international partners to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela and ensure that Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions.
In a message on X, the US Secretary of State added that “Maduro’s post-election repression has killed or imprisoned thousands of people, and the winning candidate @EdmundoGU remains the best hope for democracy.”
He concluded: “We must not allow Maduro and his representatives to cling to power by force.”
Partners spoke out
This is the first official statement from President Joe Biden’s administration regarding González’s exile. Previous statements had been made by several international partners of the US, including organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU).
In an official statement, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said Gonzalez was forced to seek asylum due to the persecution and threats he faced in Venezuela, after taking refuge in the Netherlands residence until early September.
With information from EFE.
Continue reading:
• Edmundo González Urrutia left Venezuela in the face of threats from Maduro
• Opposition leader Edmundo González arrives in Madrid after leaving Venezuela
• Maria Corina Machado speaks out after Edmundo Gonzalez leaves Venezuela