Venezuela Orders Testimony from Opposition Leader

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan government announced on Friday that it will summon former opposition candidate Edmundo González to provide sworn testimony in an investigation regarding alleged attempts to incite panic following the disputed presidential election held on July 28. This move is part of President Nicolás Maduro's ongoing efforts to suppress dissent from opponents who assert they won the election decisively. Maduro claims to have secured victory by over a million votes, despite evidence from González’s campaign indicating a loss by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The U.S. and the United Nations have expressed skepticism about the election's credibility, with some of Maduro's leftist allies in Latin America urging him to release the voting records. Venezuela's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, accused González of attempting to overstep the authority of the National Electoral Council. Following the election, González has gone into hiding as security forces have detained over 2,000 demonstrators and political activists who challenged the official results. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had her candidacy disqualified, has joined González underground. While ruling party members have called for their arrest, authorities have yet to act on these demands. The Biden administration condemned a recent ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court that upheld Maduro's victory, labeling it as lacking credibility in light of evidence supporting González's claim to have received the most votes. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Venezuela to ensure transparency in its electoral processes and has raised concerns regarding human rights violations in the country.