Venezuela opposition beset by mounting legal challenges after disputed election

Venezuela's legal system mounted more challenges against the country's political opposition on Wednesday, as the candidate the alliance says won the July 28 election was ruled in contempt of court and now faces imprisonment.

The head of Venezuela's Supreme Court ruled Edmundo Gonzalez, who says he beat President Nicolas Maduro in the vote, was in contempt of court after refusing to answer a summons to attend what it said was a certification of the results. 

Gonzalez, a 74-year-old former diplomat, could face up to 30 days in jail for contempt, lawyers said. Numerous Venezuelan opposition leaders have faced arrest and imprisonment or fled into exile in recent years.

"If I go to the electoral chamber (of the Supreme Court) in these conditions I will be totally vulnerable due to powerlessness and violation of due process and I will put at risk not only my freedom but, more importantly, the will of the Venezuelan people as they expressed on July 28," Gonzalez said in a letter posted on X on Wednesday.

Venezuela's electoral authority - which the opposition accuses of being biassed towards Maduro - declared Maduro the winner of the election early on July 29 with around 51% of the vote. But it has yet to produce the voting tallies.

The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Gonzalez, says it has copies of the voting tallies that show it won the election with more than 7 million votes, compared to Maduro's 3.3 million votes. That result is broadly similar to that predicted by independent exit polls.

While Russia and China, among others, have congratulated the socialist Maduro on his win, many Western countries have expressed scepticism and asked the electoral authority to publish a full vote tally. 

Chile's leftist President Gabriel Boric rejected Maduro's victory on Wednesday, saying he had "no doubt" Venezuela's government had committed fraud to hold on to power.

That prompted an angry rebuttal from Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil, who added that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had spoken to Maduro and that Istanbul had congratulated the Venezuelan people on the election. 

In a post on X, the Turkish presidency said Turkey "will continue to support the dialogue process in Venezuela."

WEBSITE TARGETED

In another legal challenge to the opposition, top prosecutor Tarek Saab said he would open a criminal investigation into the publishers of a website showing election tallies collected by the opposition which suggest Gonzalez won by a landslide.

"It was decided to launch a criminal investigation against those responsible for the publication and maintenance of the website," Saab said in a statement, citing forgery of public documents, computer crimes and conspiracy.

A United States official has said he believes it would be nearly impossible for the opposition to have falsified these tallies, which were rapidly uploaded online.

The disputed election led to a wave of anti-Maduro protests across Venezuela and advocacy groups have raised alarms over security forces rounding up suspected protesters. Authorities say police are targeting people accused of committing violent crimes during the demonstrations. 

Late on Tuesday, Maria Oropeza, a coordinator for Machado's Vente Venezuela political movement, broadcast a raid on her home in Guanare, in Portuguesa state, live on Instagram.

The video appears to show security officers attempting to break down a metal grid at her home entrance and asking her to accompany them. Before the video cut to black, Oropeza could be heard asking to see a warrant. 

Oropeza's current whereabouts are unknown. 

Attorney General Saab has already launched a criminal probe against Machado and Gonzalez for inciting security forces to break the law, after they published a joint letter calling for police and military to stand with Venezuela's people.