Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who allegedly defeated Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections last July, asserted this Wednesday that he was coerced into signing a letter accepting a ruling from the country's supreme court that acknowledges Maduro's victory.
"I either had to sign or face the consequences," González stated in a statement addressed "to the Venezuelans to inform them of the whole truth about what happened with my departure from Venezuela."
González stated that the incident occurred at the residence of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, where Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, presented him with a letter that he was supposed to sign.
"González added that there were several tense hours of coercion, blackmail, and pressure, and he believed at that moment that he would be more useful if he were free than if he were imprisoned."
"The regime wants all Venezuelans to lose hope," but he asserted that he "will never betray them."
The opponent emphasized that "a document produced under coercion is completely invalid due to the serious lack of consent."
Jorge Rodríguez, for his part, presented a two-page letter signed by González and warned that the 75-year-old former presidential candidate had 24 hours to retract his statements.
"If you don't deny it within 24 hours, I will release the recordings. It's up to you, Mr. González," Rodríguez said, referring to the meetings held with his sister.
Currently, González is in Spain, where he was granted political asylum earlier this month following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him in Venezuela.
The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the presidential elections held on July 28, which sparked accusations of fraud and mass protests, with the opposition publishing online voting results that confirmed González's electoral victory.
This week, a UN report indicated that the Maduro government had escalated its repressive tactics to crush peaceful protests and maintain power following the disputed elections.
The statement from the electoral authority has been supported by the country's Supreme Court, although no official figures have been released to confirm Maduro's victory.
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