Venezuela's attorney general's office said Monday it has issued a second summons to opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez to appear for questioning over an opposition website that published detailed results of the country's disputed presidential election last month.
Gonzalez, 74, a former diplomat, was given a first summons over the weekend to appear at 10 a.m. local time on Monday but did not show up until nearly midday, according to a Reuters witness. A second summons, posted on social media by the prosecutor's office, asked him to appear at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 27) to testify on charges of usurping the functions of an electoral authority, falsifying official documents, incitement to commit illegal activities and other crimes.
Venezuela's national election authority and supreme court have declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the July 28 election with more than half the vote, but vote tallies posted on opposition websites showed a resounding victory for Gonzalez.
The opposition, some Western countries and international bodies such as a UN panel of experts said the vote lacked transparency. They demanded a full tally be published by election authorities. Some directly denounced fraud.
Ruling party officials including Maduro have accused the opposition of inciting violence and Attorney General Tarek Saab launched a criminal investigation into opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez and the website earlier this month. Protests since the vote have left at least 27 people dead and 2,400 arrested. (ka/lt)
