Politics After kidnapping: Venezuela's opposition leader Machado released
After her first public appearance in months, Venezuela's opposition leader María Corina Machado has been kidnapped following a protest rally and later released, according to her campaign platform. She was forcibly intercepted and abducted in the capital Caracas, "Comando con Venezuela" announced via the X platform. "During her abduction, she was forced to record several videos and was later released." She will contact the country in the next few hours to explain the facts.
09.01.2025, 23:38
SDA
Opposition candidate Edmundo González had previously called for her immediate release on X. He has been claiming victory in the presidential election in July for months. The USA and several Latin American countries also recognize him as the winner of the election. However, the electoral authority, which is loyal to his party, declared Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian president who has been in power for almost twelve years, the winner of the election. He is due to be sworn into office on Friday.
Machado had left her safe house for the first time in months and joined the protests of thousands of people she had called against the swearing-in. "I am here, with you, and until the end," she wrote on X. The 57-year-old did not appear in public after the election for security reasons. People across the country took to the streets with slogans such as "Glory to the brave people", as could be seen in pictures on online networks.
González left for Spain at the beginning of September and applied for political asylum there. He recently announced that he would return to his home country and also be sworn in as president of the South American country on Friday. However, an arrest warrant has been issued for him in Venezuela.
