Venezuela's Political Turmoil: Arrest Warrant for Opposition Leader

Venezuela's attorney general requested an arrest warrant for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, accusing him of incitement and other crimes. This follows allegations of election fraud in the July vote won by President Nicolas Maduro. The opposition and international bodies have disputed the transparency of the election.

Venezuela's attorney general's office requested an arrest warrant on Monday for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, accusing him of incitement and other crimes amid a contentious dispute over the July election results. According to the country's national electoral authority and top court, President Nicolas Maduro secured over half the votes in the July 28 election, though the opposition claims Gonzalez won resoundingly.

International bodies, including a United Nations panel, and some Western countries have called the election's transparency into question and demanded the publication of full tallies. The opposition has released what it claims are copies of over 80% of ballot box-level tallies online, while the electoral council cites a cyber attack as the reason for its inability to publish full results.

Attorney General Tarek Saab's request for Gonzalez's arrest is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. Saab has also initiated criminal probes into other opposition leaders and the opposition's vote-tally website. Following the election, protests have resulted in at least 27 deaths and about 2,400 arrests, underscoring the heightened political tensions in the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)