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Edmundo González Urrutia

Edmundo González Urrutia, candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), was recognized by several countries and international bodies as the legitimate winner of the Venezuelan presidential election held on July 28, 2024. Despite the official results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which declared incumbent President Nicolás Maduro as the winner, there have been widespread allegations of electoral fraud.

In the winter of his life, it may be his turn to lead the political transition in Venezuela after more than two decades of Chavismo, the political movement linked to former president Hugo Chávez. The Venezuelan people saw this election as an opportunity to peacefully exercise their sacred right to vote and demand a return to democracy. Despite the Maduro regime’s continued attempt to maintain its illegitimate grip on power through coercion and violence, the Venezuelan people voted, in a landslide, for González Urrutia.

González Urrutia was born on August 29, 1949 in the town of La Victoria, in the central state of Aragua. He graduated in International Studies from the Central University of Venezuela, the country's main university.

His fundamental role in previous years was to develop a diplomatic career, a profession that he practiced for several decades, reaching some important positions both nationally and internationally. He worked from 1978 as first secretary of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington. In that city, he obtained a Master's degree from American University in 1981. González Urrutia served as First Secretary at the Venezuelan Embassy in El Salvador during the 1980s. Between 1990 and 1991, he served as director of the Committee for Coordination and Strategic Planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Venezuela's ambassador to Algeria from 1991 to 1993, and later, between 1998 and 2002, to Argentina. He worked there until 2002, when he was removed from his post. From Buenos Aires, he promoted Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. He was also Director General of International Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 1994 and 1998. His work included the organization of the VII Ibero-American Summit in Margarita in 1997.

González Urrutia has been a member of the international editorial board of the newspaper El Naciona0, , one of the most important in Venezuelal and was part of the former opposition coalition (prior to the PUD), Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, where he chaired the board of directors.

González Urrutia has written several publications, including a biography of the Venezuelan historian, diplomat, and lawyer Caracciolo Parra Pérez (1888-1964). He also participated in texts such as “Democracy, Peace, and Development,” “Venezuela and Colombia: a relationship of encounters and disagreements,” “Venezuela-Argentina: Two Centuries of Shared Visions,” and “The International Fight Against Corruption and its Repercussions in Venezuela.”

Despite having retired and dedicated himself to academic activities and conferences, González Urrutia was requested by several political parties to be the presidential candidate of the PUD after the disqualifications of María Corina Machado and Corina Yoris. The candidate accepted the challenge in April 2024, describing his decision as a "personal commitment to Venezuelans."

The most frequent central ideas in this candidate's public statements and on social media are related to the "reunification" of Venezuelan families affected by migration, the "reconstruction of democracy", the recovery of the economy and the construction of "a great country". He says that he is "not" a politician and that he wants to carry out "a centrist, balanced project, with a state presence."

“I am not part of this world, I am not a politician and I am not interested in power, but I must say that I feel good, adapted. I have assumed my new role, the one that corresponds to me in this situation: to fulfill my personal commitment to the cause of democracy and the reconstruction of my country,” he told the newspaper El País. "If the victory we obtain is of the magnitude we expect, a new reality will be created here. Forced by circumstances, I think that Maduro will understand that he must hand over power, and that the best way to do so is in an orderly, democratic, decent manner," he added.

In economic matters, he indicated that he intends to carry out “a central, balanced project, with state presence (…) State companies that function will continue. We will have to seek help to promote projects that are lagging behind, and the State does not have to be involved in everything, managing hotels or taxi lines. We must expand the participation of the private sector.”

Words about Chile and Boric. Regarding Chile, González told TVN that “we are going and we hope to maintain cordial relations with all the countries of the hemisphere, including of course the government of President Boric,” adding that the Chilean president “has been kind enough to receive thousands and thousands of Venezuelans in his country” and that “we think that he will be in favor of democracy in Venezuela, for the recovery of democratic legality.”

The Wall Street Journal notes that Gonzalez “does not directly insult regime figures. He refers to Maduro as president, a sharp shift from opposition leaders who call him illegitimate for allegedly rigging his 2018 re-election.”

Credible independent electoral observers’ assessments following Sunday’s election undermine the National Electoral Council’s fraudulent and unverifiable declaration that Maduro won the election. The overwhelming evidence, including an estimated 80 percent of vote tallies published online, clearly indicates that the Maduro regime is actively attempting to conceal the truth that Edmundo González is the rightful President-elect of Venezuela.

Despite deploying nearly every tactic of authoritarianism to undermine the electoral process and secure a regime victory, the Maduro regime could not deter the Venezuelan people from turning out in droves – peacefully and bravely – to vote for change and a better future. Instead of conceding, the Maduro regime has resorted to what dictatorships do: violently repress its citizens, spread propaganda, and persecute opposition leaders.

This election was marked by international scrutiny, with many observers and foreign governments denouncing the process as neither free nor fair. The opposition has published what they claim are the true tally sheets from the election, indicating a landslide victory for González Urrutia. Protests and political unrest continue in Venezuela as supporters of both candidates clash over the disputed results.

Countries such as the United States, Argentina, and Peru have acknowledged González Urrutia as the president-elect. Argentina's Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, declared that the legitimate winner was González Urrutia based on digital certificates showing a significant victory for him over Maduro. The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also supported this position, citing overwhelming evidence of González's victory. Uruguay and other nations have similarly recognized the opposition candidate's win but noted that the formal process of appointing the president-elect has yet to take place officially within Venezuela.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said 30 July 2024 "The United States applauds the Venezuelan people for their participation in the July 28 presidential election despite significant challenges. At least 12 million Venezuelans peacefully went to the polls and exercised one of the most powerful rights given to people in any democracy: the right to vote. Unfortunately, the processing of those votes and the announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) were deeply flawed, yielding an announced outcome that does not represent the will of the Venezuelan people.

"The CNE’s rapid declaration of Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the presidential election came with no supporting evidence. The CNE still has not published disaggregated data or any of the vote tally sheets, despite repeated calls from Venezuelans and the international community to do so. As the independent Carter Center’s observation mission reported, the CNE’s failure to provide the precinct-level official results, as well as irregularities throughout the process, have stripped the CNE’s announced outcome of any credibility.

"Meanwhile, the democratic opposition has published more than 80 percent of the tally sheets received directly from polling stations throughout Venezuela. Those tally sheets indicate that Edmundo González Urrutia received the most votes in this election by an insurmountable margin. Independent observers have corroborated these facts, and this outcome was also supported by election day exit polls and quick counts. In the days since the election, we have consulted widely with partners and allies around the world, and while countries have taken different approaches in responding, none have concluded that Nicolás Maduro received the most votes this election.

"Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.

"In addition, the United States rejects Maduro’s unsubstantiated allegations against opposition leaders. Maduro and his representatives’ threats to arrest opposition leaders, including Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, are an undemocratic attempt to repress political participation and retain power. The safety and security of the democratic opposition leaders and members must be protected. All Venezuelans arrested while peacefully exercising their right to participate in the electoral process or demand transparency in the tabulation and announcement of results should be released immediately. Law enforcement and security forces should not become an instrument of political violence used against citizens exercising their democratic rights.

"We congratulate Edmundo González Urrutia on his successful campaign. Now is the time for the Venezuelan parties to begin discussions on a respectful, peaceful transition in accordance with Venezuelan electoral law and the wishes of the Venezuelan people. We fully support the process of re-establishing democratic norms in Venezuela and stand ready to consider ways to bolster it jointly with our international partners."

The current situation different from that of Juan Guaidó, who even had embassies abroad? "Guaidó's legitimacy is different, because it came to him indirectly, as president of the National Assembly, with the legal argument that there was a power vacuum," Margarita López Maya, a professor at the Central University of Venezuela and former president of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), told DW. "Edmundo González's legitimacy comes directly, through universal, direct and secret suffrage," López Maya continued. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has recently capitalised on Venezuelan discontent. She swept the primaries held last year, although the electoral authorities later did not allow her to run for president. In the end, it was the writer and diplomat Edmundo González, a person with no political background or desire for prominence, who was chosen by the opposition to confront Maduro.

Popular legitimacy substantially differentiates the leadership of Machado-González from that of Guaidó: "Guaidó's interim government had support from abroad. It achieved popular support at a time when people were very hopeless, because they saw that there was a very high-level international response," says Venezuelan Miguel Ángel Martínez Meucci, a doctor in Political Conflict and Pacification Processes. On the other hand, the Machado-González duo constitutes "a movement from the bottom up, built internally and from popular sectors" from all parts of Venezuela, explains the expert.

The duo formed by candidate Edmundo González and María Corina Machado embodied the desire for change of the Venezuelans, claiming victory in the elections of July 28. If María Corina Machado had not been disqualified from being a presidential candidate, the veteran diplomat, who never sought political power, would probably still be at home with his family, instead of assuming the role of candidate for the presidency of Venezuela. He has to take the lead as president-elect, although Corina Machado won the primaries with an overwhelming majority. The two have to find a way to share that legitimacy, but the president-elect is Edmundo, not her.

Edmundo Gonzalez had been a voluntary refugee in the Spanish Embassy in Caracas for several days, and on 09 September 2024 left the country and requested political asylum from that government. The Venezuelan Attorney General's Office announced that the Venezuelan Court of First Instance had issued a warrant for the arrest of Edmundo Gonzalez, who had failed to appear three times to testify when subpoenaed. The office is investigating the publication of opposition polling station data on an online site in parallel with the official presidential election results by the electoral commission, as well as incitement to street violence.