US President Joe Biden called exiled opposition candidate Edmundo González a “true winner” in last July’s Venezuelan presidential election after meeting him at the White House.
Biden said in a social media post that Venezuela deserves a “peaceful transfer of power.”
Mr. González fled to Spain in September following the chaos that followed Venezuela’s elections in which incumbent President Nicolás Maduro declared victory, a claim disputed by Mr. González and many sectors of the international community. .
Maduro’s government was furious at the meeting, calling it “grotesque” and accusing Biden of supporting a violent anti-democratic project, according to Reuters.
Tensions are rising in the country as the presidential inauguration day, scheduled for Friday, approaches, with Mr. Maduro and Mr. González telling their supporters they will be sworn in.
Maduro’s government, in power since 2013, deployed thousands of police and blocked major roads leading into the capital, Caracas, in what was widely seen as a tactic to thwart anti-government protests.
But González, who has been living in exile in Spain since September, has said he intends to ignore the arrest warrant and return to his homeland to take office.
However, he has not provided details about his plans to enter Venezuela, and the Venezuelan government has offered a $100,000 (£80,000) reward for information leading to his arrest.
Mr. González also did not say how he planned to take the oath, with the National Assembly, the legislative branch where presidential oaths are taken, firmly in the hands of government supporters.
Nevertheless, the opposition remained defiant, calling on its supporters to take to the streets on Thursday.
González’s visit to the White House also mobilized major international support, during which he also met with the presidents of Argentina and Uruguay.
In all three countries, he was greeted by cheering crowds of Venezuelans holding signs that read “Freedom.”
In recent years, around 8 million Venezuelans have left their homeland to escape economic hardship and political persecution, many living in Latin America and the United States.
After Biden and González’s meeting on Monday, the White House said it would “closely” follow Venezuelan authorities’ response to anti-government protests scheduled for Thursday.
In the aftermath of July’s elections, thousands of Venezuelans who expressed anger at President Maduro’s claims of victory were arrested and charged with “terrorism.” Many remain behind bars.
Opposition leader María Colina Machado, who was barred from running in elections and threw her weight behind Ejimdo González, told AFP news agency on Monday that all that remained of Maduro’s government was fear.
“If we all go out there, how can an armed group of millions, hundreds, thousands of people defeat 30 million Venezuelans?” she asked.
He also pointed to the vote tally released by the opposition and claimed that “the whole world knows” that González is the “legitimate president-elect.”
The vote tally, a detailed official breakdown of votes from each polling station, is at the center of controversy over who won the election.
The government-affiliated National Electoral Commission declared Maduro the winner on July 29, the day after the vote, but to date has not been able to submit any tally results to support that claim.
With the help of certified election witnesses, the opposition succeeded in collecting and publishing more than 80% of the vote tallies.
Independent observers and media outlets, including US news outlets The New York Times and CNN, have reviewed the tallies and found that Edmundo González won the election with 67% of the vote, compared to 30% for Maduro. He said it was suggested.
In December, the United Nations Human Rights Committee ordered Venezuela “not to destroy” the vote tallies.
