MIAMI, United States. – The elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, declared in an interview with EFE that he is “morally prepared” for an eventual arrest if he returns to Caracas to assume the presidency on January 10. “My plan is to be there and take office that day,” he said.
The electoral records published by the opposition indicate that González Urrutia obtained 7.3 million votes in the elections held on July 28, surpassing Nicolás Maduro, who would have received just over 3 million votes. “I am the candidate who won the victory and should take possession of the presidency. “We are prepared and working for that,” said the opponent, who is currently in Spain.
Despite the arrest warrants issued against him and Maria Corina MachadoGonzález Urrutia considers that these “harassment actions” are indicative of Maduro’s “weakness.” He trusts that he will not be arrested upon his return, but recognizes that “there will be a pulse, a tension.” However, he emphasized: “I am morally prepared.”
The leader is committed to a peaceful and orderly transition in Venezuela, including negotiations and the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners. “There will be prior negotiations that will allow, God willing, an orderly transition. There could be coexistence within Venezuelan soil,” he expressed.
González Urrutia emphasizes the importance of including Chavismo in the country’s political future. “There will be a transition where the popular bases can have a space and that Chavismo can find a space. Chavismo is a political force that will remain in the country,” he said.
Regarding the future of Nicolás Maduro, he was categorical: “He finished his mandate and will take his course. “I could be another citizen in Venezuela.” When asked about his own legitimacy, he insisted: “The Venezuelan Constitution only allows one president. “I am the one who will take office on January 10.”
Regarding the role of the Armed Forces in a possible transition, González Urrutia commented that “the base and midpoints of the Armed Forces are the reflection of Venezuelan society.”
In relation to the upcoming change in the presidency of the United States and the return of Donald Trump, he indicated that, although he has not spoken personally with him, “both of their teams have maintained contacts in Washington.” He hopes that this new stage can contribute “to a peaceful, moderate transition, which has the future of Venezuelans as its objective.”
The opponent thanked the support of neighboring Latin American countries and the European Union, which recently land awarded the Sakharov Prize together with María Corina Machado. “I hope they are firmer and I hope they can carry out the provisions of these governments,” he said.
Finally, González Urrutia stated that he did not fear for his personal safety or that of his family in Caracas. “When I negotiated my departure to Spain there was an agreement with some guarantees. One of them is not to intervene with my family, not to mess with my family there,” he concluded.
With less than 50 days until the scheduled date of the presidential inauguration, the opposition leader reaffirmed his commitment to Venezuela and his main objective: “The reunion of Venezuelans and that is going to be my fundamental task, the reconciliation of the country, the reconciliation of the Venezuelans.”
