MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

González Urrutia recalls that his inauguration would make him commander-in-chief of Venezuela's armed forces

The retired diplomat is meeting US President Joseph Biden on Monday

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia who insists he won the controversial July 28 elections and will be sworn in next Friday in Caracas warned his country's armed forces that, as of that day, he will become their “commander in chief.” As such, he demanded absolute loyalty, which has nonetheless been pledged to the incumbent Nicolás Maduro.

The Chavista ruler was declared the victor by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and plans to be inaugurated for another six-year term.

“To the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, in these defining moments for our homeland, I address you with the certainty that together we will overcome the challenges we face as an institution and as a nation,” González Urrutia underlined.

“Many of you have expressed your desire for change along with the rest of Venezuelans, expressing it by voting against that leadership that does not represent a guarantee of stability or a future for Venezuela,” he added.

“We must act with determination and unity to protect our Venezuela. Our mission is to restore the popular sovereignty manifested in the vote,” he also pointed out.

He has embarked on a tour of Argentina and Uruguay and is scheduled to meet US President Joseph Biden on Monday. He has been in exile since September when an arrest warrant was issued against him in Caracas.

Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez called Sunday for the arrest of the retired diplomat should he set foot in the country to face “treason” charges for “usurpation of functions,” and money laundering. Local authorities have also offered a US$ 100,000 reward for information leading to the opposition candidate's detention. Rodríguez also highlighted the importance of cooperating with the Public Prosecutor's Office's pursuit of the man allegedly violating the Liberator Simon Bolivar Organic Law which establishes penalties between 25 and 30 years in jail plus fines and a 60-year disenfranchisement.

On Saturday noon, González met with Argentine President Javier Milei and with Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou later in the day. Upon his arrival in Montevideo, Lacalle underscored that he recognized the Unitarian Democratic Platform (PUD) contender as Venezuela's legitimate President-elect, in line with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and other world governments such as those of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, and Paraguay.

“Fellow Venezuelans in Uruguay, here we have an afternoon brimming with joy. I want to leave you a message of hope, a message of faith, that we are going to achieve the recovery of our Venezuela”, González Urrutia told the local Venezuelan community.

Also Sunday, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña held a telephone conversation with González Urrutia, during which he ratified his recognition as President-elect. The Colorado leader also pledged to contribute to the “restoration of democracy” in that country.

“Today I had a conversation with Edmundo González Urrutia, winner of the presidential elections in Venezuela, and with María Corina Machado, a prominent leader of the opposition to Nicolás Maduro's regime,” Peña wrote on social media.

“We highlighted the need for the region to unite to work for the absolute respect of the popular will and to prevent authoritarian regimes from remaining in force,” he also noted. “Paraguay will always be a firm defender of democracy in the region and in the world,” he further mentioned.

Despite the price on his head, Gonzalez Urrutia's tour also features stops in the Dominican Republic and Panama, it was also reported.