MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The challenge for Edmundo González, touring Argentina and Uruguay: can he avoid a new Guaidó scenario?

After Jan 10th, what happens in Caracas may be key for the region's future.

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia visits Montevideo this Saturday as part of a regional tour aimed at obtaining international backing to assume the Presidency of Venezuela next January 10, after declaring himself the winner of last July's elections, according to the voting tallies collected by the opposition. During his stay, he will meet with President Luis Lacalle Pou and Foreign Minister Omar Paganini, who reiterated Uruguay's support to the legitimacy of his electoral triumph.

“Based on the overwhelming evidence, it is clear for Uruguay that Edmundo González Urrutia obtained the majority of votes in the Venezuelan presidential elections,” Paganini expressed on social media last August.

Gonzalez's visit to Uruguay takes place in a context of high political tension. Nicolás Maduro's regime, which ignores the electoral result claimed by the opposition and seeks to perpetuate itself in power, has offered a reward of US$100,000 for the capture of the opposition leader. From his exile in Spain, Gonzalez faces the challenge of consolidating international support before January 10, date on which he expects to assume the Presidency. However, after the experience with Juan Guaidó in 2019, the international community is acting more cautiously before recognizing a head of state parallel to the Chavista government.

The tour begins in Argentina this Saturday, where González will meet with President Javier Milei, and will continue in Panama, the United States and the Dominican Republic in the coming days.

Brazil's position and regional divisions

Brazil, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, maintains an ambiguous position regarding the Venezuelan crisis. Although it does not recognize Maduro's victory, the Brazilian government has tried to mediate in the conflict and is still evaluating the possibility of sending a representative to the inauguration of the Chavista leader, conditioned to an official invitation. The intention of Lula's administration is to keep diplomatic channels open with Caracas no matter what happens after January 10.

Internal resistance and demonstrations called

In Venezuela, the opposition is preparing demonstrations in support of Gonzalez Urrutia on January 10. María Corina Machado, opposition leader who placed González Urrutia as candidate for president due to a political disqualification weighing on her, called Venezuelans to demonstrate in the streets and sing the national anthem as an act of resistance. “The final defeat of the regime is very close”, stated Machado, who qualified the July elections as a political and moral triumph of the opposition.

Meanwhile, human rights organizations denounce the situation of political prisoners in Venezuela, some of whom began a hunger strike to demand their release.

A few days ago, the Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, announced the release of more than 400 prisoners, which together with another batch released earlier, add up to 1,400 releases. Chavismo is thus trying to attract leaders of more countries to Maduro's official act, but, as with Brazil, it remains to be seen which states will be represented and at what diplomatic level.

The deadline for international recognition of the next president in Venezuela is set as January 10, the end of the constitutional term that Maduro assumed in 2018. After this date, what happens in Caracas may be key for the future of the region.