The opposition presidential candidate in the last presidential elections in Venezuela, Edmundo González, listed this Saturday the conditions for holding new presidential elections in Venezuela in “a truly democratic and truly free process,” which would imply renouncing his claim as president.
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“Today, as always, the interests of the Republic are above all (…). That means presidential elections,” he stated in a video speech published on social media.
Among these conditions, he proposed having independent arbitrators, an electoral register, national and international observation, political pluralism, and access to independent media. However, “there is something that comes before all that, conditions that are non-negotiable” such as “the freedom of political prisoners, the end of persecution, respect for the Constitution, and the independence of the electoral and judicial powers.”
“It is time to build the conditions to hold presidential elections that serve as a citizen instrument for change, that contribute to the democratic reinstitutionalization of the country, and lay the foundations for a stable and true government that includes us all,” he argued.
González emphasized that he is not “alone” in this stance, but discussed it last week with opposition leader María Corina Machado and the “democratic forces of Venezuela” gathered in Panama. “We are together, united on the same roadmap, towards the same destination. Because when Venezuela’s democratic leadership and coalition point in the same direction, that direction is a mandate,” he stated.
The opposition denounces that González was the most voted in the July 28, 2024 elections, but the authorities declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, now imprisoned after a U.S. military incursion in Caracas. This attack prompted a rapprochement between Venezuela and the United States.
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