Venezuelan authorities have announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Edmundo González Urrutia, an exiled opposition candidate. González, 75, claims he won the recent presidential election but President Nicolás Maduro’s government disputes this. The opposition candidate fled to Spain in September after the disputed July vote.
González had vowed to return to Venezuela on January 10 to take the oath of office instead of Maduro, who is set to do so on the same day. A wanted poster with González’s face will be displayed at airports and police checkpoints across the country.
The US and European parliament have recognized González as “president-elect,” while only a handful of countries, including Russia, acknowledge Maduro’s victory. The opposition claims detailed polling station numbers that show González won handily, but the government has resisted releasing vote results to prove its claim of victory.
Street protests erupted after the election, resulting in 28 deaths, 200 injured, and over 2,400 arrests. However, nearly 1,400 detainees have been released, and three died in prison.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/02/venezuela-reward-edmundo-gonzalez