Venezuela September 2024 –

Marco Rubio’s first headache
(Politico) Among the first crises he’ll face — the political mess in Venezuela, a hemispheric problem spot that he’s already well-acquainted with.

8-10 January
Venezuela’s Maduro takes new oath amid protests and international rebuke
(AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a new term on Friday, extending his increasingly repressive rule in the face of renewed protests and rebukes from the United States and others who believe he stole last year’s vote.
Venezuela’s legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by security forces who have become Maduro’s main hold on power since last summer’s disputed election. Crowds of people, many sporting pro-Maduro T-shirts, gathered in adjacent streets and a nearby plaza.
Venezuela’s opposition leader defies Maduro to lead protests that end in confusing arrest claims
(AP) — Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado’s aides said she was detained Thursday, followed moments later by official denials of her arrest, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to block President Nicolás Maduro from clinging to power.
It remained unclear what exactly happened after Machado bid farewell to hundreds of supporters, hopped on a motorcycle and raced with her security convoy down a main Caracas avenue.
At 3:21 p.m. local time, Machado’s press team said in a social media post that security forces “violently intercepted” her convoy. Her aides later told The Associated Press that she had been detained, and international condemnation poured in from leaders in Latin America and beyond, demanding her release.
Venezuela’s political newcomer Edmundo González says it’s his turn to rule
(AP) — Edmundo González has become a beacon of hope for millions of Venezuelans. They want to call him president. He believes he won that office at the ballot box last year. The government of President Nicolás Maduro says he did not.
A virtually unknown grandfather less than a year ago, he now has heard tens of thousands of people chant his name as loudly as they screamed “Freedom! Freedom!” at rallies across the South American country.
But González has paid the price for challenging the 25-year rule of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Under pressure, he has gone into exile. And on Tuesday, he said son-in-law Rafael Tudares had been kidnapped in the capital, Caracas.

2024

19 November
US recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as Venezuelan ‘president-elect’
Antony Blinken makes statement months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won July contest
(The Guardian) Joe Biden’s administration had previously said González earned the most votes in the disputed 28 July election, but fell short of acknowledging him as president-elect.
“The Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made [González] the president-elect,” wrote Blinken.
González fled to exile in Spain earlier this month, later telling reporters that he had been coerced into signing a letter recognizing Maduro as the winner of the disputed election as a condition for letting him leave Venezuela.
Venezuela’s national electoral council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, had declared Maduro the election winner hours after polls closed. Unlike previous presidential elections, electoral authorities did not provide detailed vote counts.
But the opposition coalition collected tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines and posted them online. González and opposition leader María Corina Machado said the voting records showed the former diplomat won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
How Venezuela’s opposition proved its election win: ‘A brilliant political move’

6-9 September
Anti-Maduro campaign ‘stronger than ever’ after Venezuelan election, says Machado
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said exile of key figure Edmundo González ‘changes absolutely nothing’

Venezuela opposition candidate leaves for Spain
Venezuela’s vice president says that former presidential opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country
Venezuela claims embassy used to plan assassination attempts
Brazil insists on defending Argentine interests until new state is chosen
Brazil and Argentina urge Venezuela to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
Argentina’s Foreign Ministry asks ICC to issue arrest warrant against Maduro
(Reuters) – Venezuela’s former presidential opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left for Spain in the wake of the South American country’s contested election, Venezuelan and Spanish officials said on Saturday night after a day of rising diplomatic tensions.
Venezuela revokes Brazil’s custody of Argentine embassy housing Maduro opponents
Opponents holed up for months in the Argentine ambassador’s residence say the building has been surrounded by security forces
… In March, six people sought asylum in the Argentine embassy in Caracas after a prosecutor ordered their arrest on charges including conspiracy. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has denied the allegations against her collaborators.
Saturday’s move from Venezuela is the latest burst of friction between the countries. Argentina’s president has been among those leading the charge against Maduro over alleged attempts to steal July’s presidential election.
Venezuela’s opposition leader calls for global movement to ‘rescue’ country
María Corina Machado wants struggle against Maduro’s ‘criminal tyranny’ to mirror anti-apartheid movement

4 September
Ian Bremmer: Maduro won’t go
Earlier this week, the US Justice Department seized the airplane used by Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, his equivalent of Air Force One. It’s the latest signal that the Biden administration remains furious at Maduro for stealing another of his country’s elections — and that it needs some way of expressing that anger. Will this latest US move undermine Maduro’s hold on power? Don’t hold your breath.
Background: US presidents have tried for years to force Maduro, in power since 2013, to hold free and fair national elections in Venezuela. Maduro has refused because he knows he would lose any contest that isn’t rigged in his favor. In 2018’s presidential election, he manipulated the vote to a degree that made international headlines, and the US and more than 50 other countries recognized the president of the National Assembly, opposition leader Juan Guaidó, as the country’s rightful leader. It made no difference; Maduro pressed on and remained in power.
Under President Donald Trump in March 2020, the US Justice Department charged Maduro and 14 of his political allies with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption in hopes of loosening his grip. No dice.
… To show just how much power he still commands, Maduro decreed this week that this year’s celebration of Christmas will begin on Oct. 1. Seriously.
The US and Venezuela’s neighbors, particularly Colombia, have a clear interest in restoring credibility to Venezuela’s politics, in part because both countries and the region have absorbed millions of refugees fleeing political repression or simply looking for brighter economic prospects than Venezuela’s basket-case, sanction-plagued economy can provide. …
Maduro will continue to resist any deal that pushes him from power. The US has reportedly offered him amnesty if he agrees to step down. Some in Congress want a return to the Trump administration’s tougher approach. A group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) appear ready to present the so-called “VALOR Act,” a bill co-sponsored by Democrats including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO). The bill would significantly ratchet up US sanctions against Venezuela.
Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico have also tried to pressure Maduro by calling for the release of detailed voter tallies and an election audit conducted by some institution other than Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which remains fully under Maduro’s thumb.
But the Venezuelan leader still has firm backing from the country’s military and security forces, which profit from his rule. …

Human rights group implicates Venezuelan security forces in killings during post-election protests
(AP) — A global human rights watchdog on Wednesday implicated Venezuelan security forces and pro-government armed groups in killings that occurred during the protests that followed the country’s disputed July presidential election.
Human Rights Watch, in a report detailing repressive measures the government unleashed after the vote, asserted that credible evidence gathered and analyzed by researchers, forensic pathologists and arms experts ties Venezuela’s national guard and national police to some of the 24 killings that took place as people protested the outcome of the election. The organization also concluded that violent gangs aligned with the ruling party also “appear to be responsible” in some of the deaths.

Exclusive: US seizes Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane in the Dominican Republic
(CNN) The United States has seized Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane after determining that its acquisition was in violation of US sanctions, among other criminal issues. The US flew the aircraft to Florida on Monday, according to two US officials.
It’s the latest development in what has long been a frosty relationship between the US and Venezuela, and its seizure in the Dominican Republic marks an escalation as the US continues to investigate what it regards as corrupt practices by Venezuela’s government.
“This sends a message all the way up to the top,” one of the US officials told CNN. “Seizing the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of US sanctions.”

2-3 September
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has not sought asylum despite an arrest warrant over his claim of winning the July presidential election, his lawyer said. The prosecutor’s office accused him of “serious crimes.” Gonzalez Urrutia, in hiding since July 28, has ignored three summonses from prosecutors.
Maduro Orders Arrest of Rival to Quell Venezuela Dissent
Regime wants González arrested for snubbing probe into vote
Ex-diplomat has been in hiding amid post-election crackdown
Venezuela issues arrest warrant for opposition leader Gonzalez, AG says
Opposition claims election fraud, demands publication of full tallies
U.S. drafts sanctions list for Venezuelan officials post-election
Gonzalez accused of usurpation of functions, falsification of public documents, and conspiracy among other charges
Warrant against Gonzalez amounts to major escalation in crackdown of opposition
US seizes Maduro’s plane in Dominican Republic
(Reuters) – Venezuela’s attorney general’s office said on Monday a court has issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes amid a dispute over whether he or President Nicolas Maduro won a July election.
Attorney general Tarek Saab shared a photo of the warrant with Reuters via a message on the application Telegram.
The issue of an arrest warrant against Gonzalez would amount to a major escalation in Maduro’s government’s crackdown against the opposition following the disputed election.
Venezuela’s Maduro condemns ‘piracy’ after US seizes his ‘smuggled’ plane
“The Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.