On Wednesday, Edmundo Gonzalez, Venezuela's former opposition candidate, claimed that he was coerced into signing a letter that effectively acknowledged his defeat in the presidential election held in July. The ruling party declared Maduro the winner on election night without providing any election data to support the president's alleged victory.
The election was marred with serious voting irregularities and the United States government has since recognized Gonzalez as the winner, rejecting Maduro's claim of victory. Gonzalez and the Unitary Platform coalition maintain that they defeated Maduro, and provided electronic copies of electoral tallies that showed Gonzalez's win.
"They showed up with a document that I would have to sign to allow my departure from the country," Gonzalez said in a post on social media, as per NPR. "In other words, either I signed or I would face consequences. There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail, and pressure."
The signed document, which was marked as confidential, was presented on live television by Maduro's chief negotiator, Jorge Rodriquez, who is the head of the National Assembly.
Rodriguez reputed the opposition candidate's coercion claims and threatened to release audio of his conversation with Gonzalez if he did not bring evidence to back his assertions.
The election was marred with serious voting irregularities and the United States government has since recognized Gonzalez as the winner, rejecting Maduro's claim of victory. Gonzalez and the Unitary Platform coalition maintain that they defeated Maduro, and provided electronic copies of electoral tallies that showed Gonzalez's win.
"They showed up with a document that I would have to sign to allow my departure from the country," Gonzalez said in a post on social media, as per NPR. "In other words, either I signed or I would face consequences. There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail, and pressure."
The signed document, which was marked as confidential, was presented on live television by Maduro's chief negotiator, Jorge Rodriquez, who is the head of the National Assembly.
Rodriguez reputed the opposition candidate's coercion claims and threatened to release audio of his conversation with Gonzalez if he did not bring evidence to back his assertions.
Electoral authorities did not provide detailed vote counts on election night, which was unlike previous elections.
However, the opposition coalition compiled tally records from 80 percent of the nation's electronic voting machines and published them online. The voting records indicated that the former diplomat won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro, according to Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The Maduro regime then issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez in connection with an investigation into the publication of the tally sheets.
