Official statements from the United Nations

María Corina Machado Delays Edmundo González Urrutia's Return Amid Maduro's 'Coup d'État'

Jan 10, 2025, 08:07 PM

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado announced that Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition's presidential candidate, will not return to Venezuela on January 10, 2025, to take the oath of office as president. Machado cited the activation of Venezuela's air defense system and the closure of the country's airspace by the government of Nicolás Maduro as reasons for González's delayed return. She emphasized that González will come back to Venezuela 'at the right time, when conditions are appropriate' to be sworn in as the constitutional president. Machado's statement comes in the wake of Maduro's inauguration for a third term, which she described as a consolidation of a 'coup d'état' against the Venezuelan constitution.