Edmundo González

Edmundo González Urrutia (born 29 August 1949) is a Venezuelan politician, analyst, and diplomat. A member of the Unitary Platform political alliance, González was its candidate in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election. A national and international political crisis erupted following the Venezuelan government's announcement that incumbent Nicolás Maduro won against González, which analysts argue was not based on the actual votes cast. The reactions of the international community were divided: democratic countries including the U.S., most European nations and some Latin American countries (such as Argentina, Peru and Uruguay) rejected the official results and recognized González as the election winner, while a number of autocratic countries including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and Cuba recognized Maduro as the winner.

Maduro did not cede power, and instead asked the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), composed of justices loyal to Maduro, to approve the results, which they did. An arrest warrant was issued for González, who was charged with "usurpation of functions, falsification of public documents, instigation to disobey the law, conspiracy and association"; he was granted asylum in Spain, leaving Venezuela on 7 September 2024.

González has previously served as the Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina and Algeria. He also sits on the editorial board of ''El Nacional''.

He was awarded the Sakharov Prize in December 2024, alongside María Corina Machado.

Early life and education

González was born in La Victoria, Aragua, in 1949 to a schoolteacher and shopkeeper. He received a degree in international studies from the Central University of Venezuela and a Master of Arts in international relations from the American University in the United States in 1981.

Diplomatic career

González began his diplomatic career working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela. He was posted in El Salvador and Belgium before serving as a first secretary for the Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States in 1978.

From 1991 to 1993, González served as the Venezuelan Ambassador to Algeria. He was the Director General of International Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999. In November 1998, González arrived in Argentina beside the newly inaugurated president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, when he presented his credentials to serve as ambassador. While in Argentina, he promoted Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. His posting as ambassador to Argentina ended in July 2002.

Political career

From 2013 to 2015, González was the international representative for the Venezuelan opposition's political alliance, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (UMD).

In the 2020s, González became the president of the opposition's political alliance, the Unitary Platform, the successor of MUD.

Presidential candidacy

Background

After the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared María Corina Machado–who won the 2023 Unitary Platform presidential primaries–ineligible for holding political office in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election and Machado's alternate candidate Corina Yoris faced complications preventing her from filing her candidacy, González was entered as a Unitary Platform presidential candidate. On 20 April, the other major opposition candidate Manuel Rosales suspended his candidacy and endorsed González.

On 26 March 2024, the CNE confirmed that González was a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Platform

González stated in April 2024 in an interview with Agence France-Presse that "Venezuela must put aside nternalstruggles, political diatribe, confrontation, and we must all fight for Venezuela's recovery and transition. That is what's fundamental", arguing for his candidacy as one of "my contribution to unity, to the struggle for a democratic transition".

González stated in the same interview that "I have no personal aspirations... never, never, never imagin ngI would be in this position, but that is secondary to the challenge ahead." González still refers to María Corina Machado as "the leader of the opposition" and "the leader of this unitary process". González stated his goal to be "bring ngVenezuelans together (and) the return ngof political exiles" followed by "the recovery of the economy and of democracy".

Election results

According to ''The Sunday Times'' González was "widely seen as the rightful winner" of a disputed election whose results announced by CNE electoral authorities—without providing evidence—cast Venezuela into a political crisis; most American democracies did not recognize Maduro as the winner, while "mostly authoritarian countries" including China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and North Korea did.

The BBC and ''The Guardian'' reported that Peru was the first country to recognize González as Venezuela's president-elect, on 30 July—a statement from the former Peruvian foreign minister that was corrected on 5 September by Peru's Council of Ministers after a new foreign minister was named. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte reinforced on 6 September that Peru's position with respect to Venezuela had not changed under the new foreign minister, saying "We will not be part of an electoral fraud; we will not support a dictatorial government."

On 1 August, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that there was "overwhelming evidence" that González won the presidential election. On 2 August, Argentina recognized González as president-elect, while Uruguayan Foreign Minister Omar Paganini stated that there was an “overwhelming amount of information” whereby González may be considered the winner of the elections. On the same day, Costa Rica also recognized González's victory in the Venezuelan elections over Nicolás Maduro. By 4 August, Ecuador and Panama also recognized Edmundo González's victory.

Maduro did not acknowledge the results published by the opposition which claimed he lost the election, and instead asked the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ), composed of justices loyal to Maduro, to audit and approve the results. On 22 August, as anticipated, the TSJ described the CNE's statement of Maduro winning the election as "validated".

Exile in Spain

An arrest warrant was issued on 2 September for González for the alleged crimes of "usurpation of functions, falsification of public documents, instigation to disobey the law, conspiracy and association". After the election, González sought refuge secretly in the Dutch Embassy through 5 September, after which he spent several days in the Spanish embassy in Caracas, and was granted asylum, leaving on a Spanish Armed Forces flight on 7 September 2024. His wife accompanied him on the flight to Madrid, where they would join a daughter who lives there. González, along with María Corina Machado, was awarded the Sakharov Prize on 24 October.

Political views

González has been described as a centrist and an apolitical "consensus maker".

Attitude towards Maduro

González was apolitical during his diplomatic service, working for both Hugo Chávez and Carlos Andrés Pérez. While González worked against the Chávez–Maduro administrations, his attitude has been described as conciliatory. While former presidential candidate María Corina Machado supported prosecution of the human rights abuses of the Maduro government, González has repeatedly supported talks with Maduro.

Personal life

Since 1973, he has been married to the dentist Mercedes Marina López Unzueta (1949), with whom he has two daughters: Mariana del Carmen, born on July 16, 1976, and Carolina, born on January 4, 1980 in Washington, D.C. and has four grandchildren.

References

Further reading

Edmundo González Urrutia, Maduro's main rival in the Venezuelan elections: 'I don't feel afraid'

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Urrutia, Edmundo González
1949 births
Ambassadors of Venezuela to Algeria
Ambassadors of Venezuela to Argentina
American University alumni
Candidates for President of Venezuela
Venezuelan anti-communists
Central University of Venezuela alumni
Living people
Venezuelan Roman Catholics
Venezuelan exiles
Venezuelan expatriates in Spain
Sakharov Prize laureates
People of the Crisis in Venezuela