Venezuela top prosecutor again summons opposition leader amid diplomatic standoff
Adds comments from Ortega in paragraphs 9, 11-12
CARACAS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The office of Venezuela's top prosecutor issued a second summonson Monday for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez to be questionedabout an opposition website that publisheddetailed results of last month'sdisputed presidential election.
The summons mark the latest efforts by domestic allies of socialist President Nicolas Maduro to fend off challenges to the leader's proclaimed reelection which criticssaywas not transparent.
Some Western countries, nearly all democracies in the Americas and international bodies like a United Nations panel of experts have called for the government to release detailed vote tallies,with some accusing it of seeking to steal the election.
So far, the electoral authority and Maduro have refused to do so. Also on Monday, Nicaragua's president, one of the Venezuelan leader's few international backers, offered fresh support.
Opposition leader Gonzalez, 74-year-old former diplomat and presidential hopeful, was issued the first summons over the weekend to appear on Monday morning, but he had not appeared by around midday, according to Reuters witnesses.
The second summons, posted on social media by the attorney general's office, calls for him to appear on Tuesday morningto testify about alleged usurpation of functions of the electoral authority, falsification of official documents, incitement of illegal activity and other crimes.
Gonzalez took to social media onSunday to asserthe was being called for the interview "without precision about the condition under which I will testify and pre-accused of crimes that were not committed."
Venezuelan law allows the issuance of an arrest warrant when someone violates a summons three times.
'YOU'RE DEGRADING YOURSELF'
In a speech to a regional group that backs Maduro, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega lashed out at Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, dismissing his calls that full results from Venezuela's election be released.
Lula has been joined by his fellow leftist presidents in Colombia and Mexico in calling for election transparency, though he has gone further in suggesting new elections could potentially solve the deadlock.
Ortega argued Maduro should be recognized as the winner, saving his harshest criticism for Brazil's president.
"You're degrading yourself Lula," said Ortega, calling him "servile" and a fake progressive.
Venezuela's national electoral authority and its top court have named Maduro the victor of the July 28 election, citing justover half of the votes. But the scanned copies of over 20,000 voting machine receipts postedon the opposition website just days after the election showa resounding victory for Gonzalez.
The opposition says its tally covers more than 80% of the vote.
Ruling party officials have accused the opposition of stoking violence and Attorney General Tarek Saab haslaunched criminal probes into opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez and the website earlier this month.
Protests since the vote have led to at least 27 deaths and 2,400 arrests.
Detentions of opposition figures and protesters have continued in the weeks since, as the ruling party-controlled national assembly passed a law tightening rules on NGOs and unions denounced alleged forced resignations of state employees espousing pro-opposition views.
Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Marguerita Choy, David Alire Garcia and Richard Chang
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
