Venezuelan judge orders the arrest of former opposition candidate Edmundo González

A Venezuelan judge reportedly ordered the arrest of the opposition’s former presidential candidate Edmundo González on Monday amid ongoing controversy over the country’s election this summer. 

The arrest warrant comes as part of a criminal investigation, The Associated Press reports, into Venezuela’s election, which the United States has said González won.

But although the U.S. has argued there’s “overwhelming evidence” González was the winner, the ruling party’s Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in July’s election. The contest sparked Venezuelan protests and international criticism of the election process. 

“Maduro has lost all touch with reality. The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said in a post on the social platform X. 

González, who is a former diplomat, and Machado went into hiding after the election. 

The development comes hours after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the U.S. seized a plane used by Maduro, after officials deemed its purchase violated sanctions and export control laws.

The DOJ alleges the aircraft was illegally purchased through a shell company and smuggled out of the U.S. for use by Maduro “and his cronies,” according to a statement from Attorney General Merrick Garland.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated González last month for receiving the most votes, which the State Department said in a release was “documented by the democratic opposition’s extensive efforts to ensure a transparent accounting of the votes.”

The Associated Press contributed.