Venezuelan opposition candidate claims son-in-law has been kidnapped

Edmundo Gonzalez, who competed against incumbent Nicolas Maduro successful July’s statesmanlike elections, says masked men abducted his son-in-law successful Caracas.

Edmundo Gonzalez, the person of Venezuela’s governmental opposition, has accused masked men of kidnapping his son-in-law, who remains missing.

Gonzalez, who ran successful the country’s contested statesmanlike predetermination successful July, announced the quality connected societal media connected Tuesday.

“This greeting my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped,” Gonzalez wrote.

“Rafael was heading to my grandchildren’s school, ages 7 and 6, successful Caracas, to driblet them disconnected for the commencement of classes, and helium was intercepted by hooded men dressed successful black, who enactment him successful a gold-coloured pickup motortruck with the licence sheet AA54E2C and took him away. At this clip helium is missing.”

Gonzalez himself presently faces an apprehension warrant successful Venezuela, wherever helium has asserted that helium is the rightful victor of the July 28 statesmanlike contest.

That has enactment him astatine likelihood with incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, who likewise claimed victory. Maduro is acceptable to beryllium sworn successful for a 3rd word connected Friday.

The absorption and different critics of Maduro’s authorities person protested against the predetermination and the authoritative results, which they support lacked transparency and fairness.

Pre-election polling appeared to amusement Maduro trailing Gonzalez by a steep margin. But soon aft polls closed, the country’s electoral authorization declared Maduro the winner, without releasing the accustomed breakdown of the voting tally.

Venezuela’s absorption argued that precinct-level tallies amusement Gonzalez beating Maduro by a two-to-one margin, and they person published what look to beryllium authoritative tally sheets online.

That raised doubts astir the legitimacy of his victory, and protesters flooded the streets successful cities similar Caracas successful the aftermath of the vote.

The authorities has, successful turn, been accused of starring a convulsive crackdown against protesters and governmental opponents pursuing the election.

Some 2,000 radical were initially arrested, and 23 killed, though Maduro’s authorities precocious said it released 1,515 of the detainees. His medication has agelong faced accusations of governmental repression and quality rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention.

In September, prosecutors successful Venezuela’s authorities accused Gonzalez of conspiracy, usurpation of powers and falsifying documents, and a tribunal issued a warrant for his arrest.

The absorption person fled the state and went into exile successful Spain. But helium has pledged to instrumentality to Venezuela.

The Venezuelan government, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that Gonzalez volition beryllium arrested if helium comes back.

Maduro and his allies support that Gonzalez and different absorption members worked with hostile overseas powers to destabilise the country.

In aboriginal January, Gonzalez near Spain to rally enactment successful a circuit crossed the Americas and enactment unit connected Maduro’s government.

He has already visited Argentina and Uruguay, and connected Monday, helium met US President Joe Biden, whose authorities recognised Gonzalez arsenic the morganatic president-elect successful November.

While determination leaders person expressed scepticism astir Maduro’s claims of triumph and condemned the crackdown connected protesters, it remains unclear what leverage tin beryllium exerted connected Gonzalez’s behalf.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies