The Venezuelan government on Friday announced a new investigation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, continuing to accuse her of involvement in the imposition of economic sanctions by the United States and other countries against Venezuela, the country's attorney general's office said Machado's statements constitute “crimes of treason.” This was reported by The Washington Post, according to UNN.
Details
An investigation has been launched against Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for her support of a bill passed by the US House of Representatives. The bill would prohibit the US federal government from entering into contracts with companies that cooperate with the Venezuelan authorities.
Venezuela's Attorney General's Office said that Machado's statements constitute “crimes of treason” and accused her of collusion with foreign powers. The statement called the bill an attempt to “expand the catalog of sanctions” against the country.
The investigation began four days after the U.S. government recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the “elected president” of Venezuela. President Nicolas Maduro, claiming victory in the July elections, still refuses to publish the voting results that would confirm this.
Machado won more than 90% of the support in the primaries organized by the opposition coalition, but did not participate in the July 28 vote. Her candidacy was blocked by the Maduro government, which claimed that she sought economic sanctions that the United States imposed last decade to overthrow Maduro, the newspaper writes.
Machado's elected deputy was also deprived of the right to represent the opposition coalition Unitary Platform, forcing the faction's leadership to nominate Edmundo Gonzalez.
The National Electoral Council of Venezuela, which is controlled by supporters of the ruling party, declared Nicolas Maduro the winner of the election a few hours after the polls closed. However, unlike in previous elections, detailed voting results were not made public.
The opposition coalition, having collected data from 80% of the electronic voting machines, published these protocols on the Internet. According to them, Gonzalez received twice as many votes as Maduro. Together with Machado, he said that this confirms the victory of the opposition.
González left Venezuela in September and moved to Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with an investigation into the publication of election protocols.
The new presidential term in Venezuela begins on January 10.
Earlier this week, Machado thanked members of the U.S. Congress in a post on X, calling the bill's passage “an important step toward holding the Maduro regime accountable.
“We look forward to continuing the struggle for freedom in Venezuela, working together to achieve a swift transition to democracy and a brighter future for the region,” she wrote.
Recall
Venezuelan authorities released 225 people arrested during protests against Maduro's re-election. Human rights organizations confirmed the release of 107 political prisoners.