Venezuela crisis: ‘Freedom has arrived,' says Machado after Maduro's ouster, backs Edmundo González for presidency

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said President Nicolás Maduro was removed from power after refusing a negotiated exit, and called for opposition-backed candidate Edmundo González to assume the presidency.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Machado said Maduro rejected efforts to negotiate a transition, leading to his removal.

“Maduro was removed from power after refusing a negotiated exit,” Machado said, without providing further details on the process that led to his removal.

Call for Edmundo González to take over

Machado said that Edmundo González, whom the opposition, the United States and international observers say won Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, should immediately assume office.

She reaffirmed the opposition’s position that the election result was legitimate and must be respected.

Promise to restore order and free prisoners

Machado said the opposition would move quickly to stabilise the country if González takes power.

She pledged that a new government would restore order, free political prisoners, and begin rebuilding democratic institutions after years of political and economic turmoil.

Who is Edmundo González Urrutia?

Edmundo González Urrutia, a veteran Venezuelan diplomat and opposition leader, has emerged as a central figure in Venezuela’s escalating political crisis after opposition leader María Corina Machado declared President Nicolás Maduro was removed from power and called on González to assume the presidency.

Backed by the opposition Unitary Platform alliance, González is recognised by the United States, several European countries and multiple Latin American nations as the legitimate winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election, despite Maduro being declared the victor by state-controlled electoral authorities.

Veteran diplomat turned opposition consensus figure

Born on August 29, 1949, in La Victoria, Aragua state, González spent most of his career outside politics. Trained in international relations, he holds degrees from the Central University of Venezuela and American University in Washington, D.C.

He served for decades in Venezuela’s foreign service, with diplomatic postings across Latin America, Europe and North Africa, including ambassadorships in Algeria and Argentina.

Entry into opposition politics

González entered opposition politics in the 2010s as the international representative of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). In the 2020s, he rose to head the Unitary Platform, the country’s main opposition coalition.

How he became the 2024 opposition candidate

González’s presidential candidacy emerged largely by necessity. After María Corina Machado won the opposition primaries but was barred from holding office, and her replacement candidate was blocked from registering, González was selected as the opposition’s consensus candidate.

His campaign emphasised unity, democratic transition and economic recovery, repeatedly portraying his role as a bridge toward restoring democratic institutions rather than a personal political ambition.

Disputed election and international recognition

Venezuela’s electoral council declared Maduro the winner of the 2024 election without releasing full vote tallies, triggering domestic unrest and international criticism. The opposition published its own results, claiming González won decisively.

The United States, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and several European governments cited “overwhelming evidence” of González’s victory. Russia, China, Iran, Cuba and North Korea, however, backed Maduro. Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice later upheld the official results.

Arrest warrant, exile and rising profile

In September 2024, Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant against González on charges including usurpation of functions and conspiracy. He sought refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas before being granted asylum by Spain and leaving the country.

His exile boosted his international profile, turning him into a symbol of Venezuela’s contested democracy. In October 2024, González and Machado were jointly awarded the European Union’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.