(10 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Madrid, Madrid, Spain – 10 December 2024
1. Wide of news conference being held by Venezuelan opposition leader, Edmundo González Urrutia
2. Journalists and members of Venezuela community in Madrid
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Edmundo Gonzalez, Venezuela’s opposition candidate:
"I feel in a position to assume the mandate that was given to me by the will of the people on the 28th July."
4. Mid of posters of people detained during protest
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Edmundo Gonzalez, Venezuela’s opposition candidate:
"With fear you don’t go to war. So I am convinced that I will travel to Venezuela by any means…"
6. Mid of meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria Corina Machado, opposition leader: ++SPEAKING VIA VIDEO LINK FROM UNKNOWN LOCATION++
"I insist that this is what happens to tyrannies. When you least expect it they collapse. We have the example of Syria, which sends a sharp message to the (Venezuelan President Nicolás) Maduro regime, because there you have those that support him: Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the big supporters of the Maduro regime. And if they didn’t support in the area of their nearest zone of influence you’ll tell me if they are going to come out to support him. It (Venezuela) has become an international pariah. So the one who has a problem with the dates is Maduro, not us."
8. Wide of meeting, people applauding
STORYLINE:
Venezuela’s political opposition on Tuesday signalled a shift toward a flexible timeline for a government transition that it had long insisted would come next month when the new presidential term is set to begin.
The change came as the faction’s candidate in the July presidential election remained in exile in Spain and its leader continued to hide in Venezuela, both efforts meant to avoid arrest, with only 30 days left before Venezuela’s constitutionally mandated swearing-in ceremony.
The move underscores the challenges the opposition coalition faces to deliver on its promise to see President Nicolás Maduro out of office even as dozens of nations back the faction’s claim to victory and denounce the government for electoral fraud.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared Maduro the election winner hours after polls closed.
But unlike previous presidential elections, electoral authorities did not provide detailed vote counts.
Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition collected tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines, posted them online and said the voting records showed former ambassador Edmundo González won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
The government ignored calls for transparency from inside and outside Venezuela, and instead, the ruling party-controlled National Assembly sent Maduro an invitation for his swearing in ceremony.
González left Venezuela in September for exile in Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with an investigation into the publishing of the vote tally sheets, while Machado has been hiding for months at an undisclosed location she has said is in Venezuela.
He again told reporters Tuesday he is willing to return to Venezuela to take office.
“I see myself assuming the position for which I was voted by the majority of Venezuelans on July 28,” he said without offering a timeframe.
Dozens of governments, including the United States, have recognized González as the election winner, but it is unclear whether Maduro and allies would allow him to enter Venezuela.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/dc639cefe7a8443aa69b67f905027931
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in December 15, 2024, 6:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
