It's unclear where Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was when he learned of his arrest warrant — the Venezuelan opposition leader has gone underground — after a Caracas court, usually tasked with trying terrorists, granted the public prosecutor's request to issue it. Venezuela's prosecutors have accused the politician of "serious crimes," including usurpation, falsifying documents and ties to "terrorist" financial backers.

Rightful president — or not?

So what actually happened? Gonzalez Urrutia was the Venezuelan opposition's top candidate and stood against longtime President Nicolas Maduro in the country's July 28 election. The government and opposition have been fighting over the result of that vote since it took place.

On election night, the National Election Council (CNE) quickly declared Maduro the winner, claiming he had won 51% of the vote. The opposition was enraged, claiming manipulation and fraud. In fact, the CNE has been unable to produce voter precinct evidence to back up the claim. A massive cyberattack purportedly made it impossible to provide such information — though the council has also failed to provide evidence of any such attack.

The opposition, however, has provided the CNE with information that it had access to and this showed Gonzalez Urrutia with a 30-point lead over Maduro. Despite being unable to verify those numbers, Gonzalez Urrutia declared himself president. Several countries, including the US and Argentina, immediately recognized him as such.

Repression against critics, no independent justice system

Since then, crackdowns and violence against opposition politicians and demonstrators have increased dramatically. At least 27 people are said to have died in protests since the election — several reportedly killed by so-called "Collectivos," armed motorcycle gangs with ties to the government. Another 200 have been injured and about 2,400 people have been arrested.

At the same time, Venezuela's judiciary has repeatedly subpoenaed Gonzalez Urrutia to appear in court. The charges against him are directly tied to the opposition's publication of election documents. When the opposition leader failed to appear and went into hiding instead, the government issued an arrest warrant. Prior to that, he publicly voiced concern over his ability to receive a fair trial.

That is because Venezuela's judiciary is anything but independent. Instead, it is controlled by Madura's party and actively sought to hinder the opposition before the election.

Opposition straw man?

The 75-year-old Gonzalez Urrutia is actually the opposition's third choice as presidential candidate — in reality, Maria Corina Machado, a 56-year-old politician and longtime critic of Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, calls the shots. Machado has described the government as a "gruesome criminal military dictatorship" and is fighting to replace it.

However, Machado was barred from running in the presidential election, as was her successor, former academic Corina Yoris. In 2023, Machado was actually barred from holding any public office for 15 years. Prior to that, she had been posting 90% voter approval ratings. With the opposition's top two candidates sidelined, Gonzalez Urrutia became its replacement candidate.

Underestimated replacement candidate 

Gonzalez Urrutia is a soft-spoken man who often comes across as reserved. Before he was nominated, few Venezuelans even knew who he was. That may well be why the Electoral Council allowed his candidacy to move forward.

He has spent years as a Venezuelan politician and diplomat, but that was a long time ago. Though he held a number of diplomatic posts until 2002 — even under former President Hugo Chavez — he had long since retired by the time he got the opposition's call.

Initially, he voiced doubt about his candidacy, telling the German weekly Der Spiegel he had been informed that he would be a "placeholder" until a new candidate could be found.

In the end, Gonzalez Urrutia remained. He often appeared alongside Maria Corina Machado at campaign events, her popularity helping to quickly boost his approval ratings. Many polls, which could not be independently confirmed, showed him clearly ahead of the incumbent Maduro.

Machado railed against Gonzalez Urrutia's arrest warrant on X after it was issued, writing: "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. Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our quest for freedom."

Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela for 11 years, recently addressed the issue in his Monday TV show "With Maduro," saying: "No one in this country is above the law." Meanwhile, Gonzalez Urrutia, the "accidental candidate," remains underground.

This article was originally written in German and translated by Jon Shelton.