Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo
González-Urrutia arrived in Costa Rica for a
meeting with President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles
on Thursday.
“We are going to give a big welcome to the man
who won Venezuela’s presidential elections,”
President Chaves said when announcing
González’s visit. “We continue to denounce
electoral fraud in Venezuela.”
González’s schedule includes a meeting at the
Presidential House, with President
Chaves. Later, he will visit Congress to
meet its president, Rodrigo Arias Sánchez.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed
that González will meet with former Costa
Rican presidents during his visit.
The primary focus of González’s trip is to
update Costa Rican leadership on Venezuela’s
political and economic situation. Discussions
will address his July 2024 electoral victory,
which saw him garner approximately seven
million votes, and allegations of electoral
fraud by President Nicolás Maduro’s
regime.
Earlier this month, González began a
diplomatic tour across the Americas, meeting
with leaders in the United States,
Guatemala, Panama, the Dominican Republic,
Argentina, and other nations to rally
international support for democratic
transition in Venezuela.
Costa
Rica joined the United States and nine
other Latin American countries in
rejecting Venezuela’s Supreme Court
decision to certify Maduro’s re-election
on July 28, 2024.
The
country condemned Venezuela’s arrest
warrant for González, labeling it an
attempt to silence the opposition leader
and undermine the Venezuelan people’s
democratic will.
In
August 2024, President Chaves held a
virtual meeting with González and fellow
opposition leader María Corina
Machado-Parisca, during which the leaders
urged Costa Rica and the global community
to press for a peaceful transition of
power in Venezuela.
Costa
Rica has consistently called for a
transparent recount of Venezuela’s
presidential election ballots to ensure
the results reflect the will of the
Venezuelan people.
The
country has also offered Venezuelan
opposition leaders asylum and refugee
status.
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How can
Venezuelans
bring a
democratic
transition if
President
Maduro
maintains the
military’s
support? We would
like to know your
thoughts on this
story. Send
your comments to news@amcostarica.com