Venezuelan opposition leader who claimed victory over Maduro meets with Biden

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who claimed victory in last year’s presidential election against current President Nicolás Maduro, met with President Biden on Monday in search of support in removing the incumbent from office.

Biden and González Urrutia met at the White House, where the latter, who represented Venezuela’s main opposition coalition in the country’s presidential election in July, tried to rally support for his effort to remove Maduro from office by Friday, when the South American country’s next presidential term starts.

‘We had a long, fruitful and cordial conversation with President Biden and his team,’ González Urrutia told reporters. ‘We, of course, thanked the United States government for the support it has given us in this fight for democratic recovery in Venezuela. That is a commitment that we take with us and that we will continue to follow until the last day of the president’s government.’

White House officials said in a statement that the two leaders met to discuss shared efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.

‘President Biden emphasized that the world was inspired by the millions of Venezuelans who courageously voted for democratic change in Venezuela’s deeply flawed July 28 presidential election, as demonstrated through the collection of voting tally sheets that indicated that Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes by an insurmountable margin,’ the statement read. ‘Both leaders agreed there is nothing more essential to the success of democracy than respecting the will of the people, as expressed through a transparent and accountable electoral process, and that Gonzalez Urrutia’s campaign victory should be honored through a peaceful transfer back to democratic rule.

‘Both leaders also expressed deep concern regarding Nicolás Maduro and his representatives’ unacceptable and indiscriminate use of repression against peaceful protesters, (sic) democracy activists, and civil society,’ the statement continued. ‘President Biden reiterated his support for Venezuela’s democratic aspirations and underscored the U.S. commitment to continue to hold Maduro and his representatives accountable for their anti-democratic and repressive actions, including by working closely with democratic allies in the hemisphere and around the world.’

On Saturday, González Urrutia began touring the Americas, making stops in Uruguay and Argentina.

Ahead of his stop in Washington, González Urrutia’s team called on Venezuelans in the area to gather outside the offices of the Organization of American States on Monday.

As González Urrutia continues to search for support in removing his opponent from office, the National Assembly has invited Maduro to be sworn in to a sixth term on Friday. The swearing-in would take place five months after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election, though the Associated Press reported the council was stacked with loyalists to Maduro’s party.

Unlike past presidential elections, election officials did not provide detailed vote counts. But the opposition obtained tally sheets from more than 80% of the electronic voting machines in the country and posted them online. Along with the post, the opposition said the tally sheets show González Urrutia won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

As such, the U.S. and most European governments have rejected the official results of the election and consider González Urrutia the legitimate winner.

In fact, the Carter Center, which Maduro’s government invited to observe the presidential election, has said the tally sheets González Urrutia posted online are legitimate.

The AP reported that Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello was asked about González Urrutia’s plans, to which he responded by insulting and attacking the politician, even threatening him with arrest.

Cabello insisted Maduro would be sworn in as president on Friday.

‘Coward,’ Cabello said of the retired diplomat, who he accused, without offering any proof, of being a CIA agent. ‘He has neither courage nor disposition. … Mr. González Urrutia knows that as soon as he steps in Venezuela he will be arrested.’

González Urrutia fled Venezuela for Spain in September after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an investigation into the publishing of the election’s tally sheets.

The Venezuelan government also announced a $100,000 reward for information on his whereabouts last week.

On Monday, González Urrutia told reporters his campaign has been in contact with President-elect Trump’s team.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.