The people of Venezuela could change their destiny this Sunday in the 2024 Presidential Elections, where the ruling Nicolás Maduro will face a powerful opponent, former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia.
There are 10 candidates participating in the elections, but the real contest is between Maduro and González, as the latter is an experienced politician, the candidate representing a coalition of opposition parties, and the favorite in the polls.
González Urrutia is 74 years old. He was born on August 29, 1949, in La Victoria, Venezuela. He graduated with a degree in International Relations from the Central University of his country.
His official residence is located in Caracas. He is married to Mercedes López de González, with whom he has two daughters. They are a Catholic and very devout family.
This opposition candidate is backed by his distinguished professional career that began in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela. He was Ambassador to Algeria (1991-1993) and Argentina (1998-2002). Despite this, he was unknown to most Venezuelans until recently.
The support of opposition leader María Corina Machado has strengthened his candidacy and turned him into a viable rival who could put an end to more than two decades of chavismo.
González Urrutia had no political aspirations, but he accepted the opposition's candidacy as a "personal commitment to the Venezuelans."
More than eight million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years. Many are pinning their hopes on this Sunday’s elections for an end to the dictatorship in their country.
González Urrutia has promised to work hard to boost the economy of Venezuela, generate confidence to attract foreign investment to the country, and promote development in areas that have been left behind.
This week Nicolás Maduro said that if he loses the elections in Venezuela there will be "a bloodbath." This is not the first time he has made threats of this kind. In February, he stated that in this presidential election his team will win "by fair means or foul."
"If they do not want Venezuela to fall into a bloodbath and a civil war, as a result of the fascists, let us guarantee the greatest electoral victory for our people," said Maduro.
The last few weeks have been marked by repressive actions in Venezuela against opponents and independent media, with numerous websites blocked on the Internet.
This Wednesday, the presence of agents from Cuba's State Security in Venezuela was confirmed. Abel Prieto Jiménez, director of the Casa de las Américas, celebrated this interference with a tweet in which he greeted "the troops" and assured that "They will not be able to take the victory away from the people of Bolívar and Chávez."
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