Venezuelan judge orders arrest of opposition candidate US says won election

A judge in Venezuela ordered the arrest on Monday of Edmundo González, whom the U.S. recognized in August as the legitimate winner of the presidential election over Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro was declared the winner of the election with 51% of the vote, but Gonzalez's opposition party released detailed internal polling data that showed he received nearly twice the number of votes Maduro did.

Adding confusion and controversy to the situation, Maduro and his cohorts have not released details of their vote tallies.

"Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela's July 28 presidential election," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement following the election results announcement.

“Maduro has lost all touch with reality. The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said in a post on the social platform X.

Gonzalez and Machado have been in hiding since the election.