Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who insists he is the legitimate winner of the July 28 presidential election, failed to comply with a Supreme Court summons on Wednesday (Aug. 7) to appear for an audit of the disputed election results.
Earlier, the government-aligned National Electoral Council certified the vote for President Nicolas Maduro, securing him a third six-year term in office, a decision rejected by the opposition and sparked deadly protests in the country.
The opposition also believes the Supreme Court is biased in favor of the Maduro government.
The United States and several Latin American countries are among those that have recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the election, and have called on Venezuelan election officials to release their vote tallies. They have responded by saying the results have been submitted to the courts.
The opposition said its tally showed Gonzalez, a retired diplomat, was the winner of the election.
The country's highest court then summoned all presidential candidates and representatives of their supporting parties, including Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, to appear in court on Wednesday to attend the certification of the election results.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Gonzalez explained why he was not attending. “If I were to appear in the (Supreme Court) electoral court under these conditions, I would be extremely vulnerable due to the impotence and violation of due process, and I would be risking not only my freedom, but more importantly, the will of the Venezuelan people, as they expressed on July 28.”
“Citizen Nicolas Maduro… has stated publicly… that if I do not attend, I will bear legal responsibility, and if I attend and submit a copy of the” voting record, “there will be serious criminal responsibility,” he added.
“Is this an impartial and law-abiding procedure? Have I been punished before?”
Like Gonzalez, Machado also did not appear in court. He remained in hiding and said he feared for his safety.
Many opposition leaders in the country have chosen exile rather than face arrest and imprisonment in Venezuela.
However, the news agency Reuters reported that three groups supporting Gonzalez's campaign were present in court on Wednesday.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby on Wednesday called on Maduro to immediately release election data, saying Gonzalez won the popular vote based on evidence from the opposition, civil society and other observers.
Support for the opposition has grown, following years of economic mismanagement that has impoverished many Venezuelans, prompting many to flee the country. Many poor and working-class Venezuelans who previously supported Maduro's left-wing populist political ideology now support the opposition. (th/ab)
