Venezuela offers $100k reward for Gonzalez arrest

Venezuela's government announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, displaying wanted posters at La Guaira airport. This development comes as Gonzalez, currently in exile in Spain, plans to visit Argentina this weekend.

The announcement was made by Venezuela's Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigations Agency just eight days before the scheduled presidential inauguration. Gonzalez, who claimed victory in the July presidential election, has been living abroad since September after authorities issued an arrest warrant for alleged conspiracy.

The electoral dispute stems from the July 28 presidential election, where official results declared incumbent Nicolas Maduro the winner. However, electoral authorities have not published detailed vote counts. The opposition claims their collected tally sheets from 80% of electronic voting machines show Gonzalez winning with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Gonzalez revealed that Maduro's allies forced him to sign a letter acknowledging defeat before allowing him to leave Venezuela. Despite the pending arrest warrant, he maintains plans to return to Venezuela for the January 10 inauguration, though details of his return remain unclear.

The election's legitimacy has been questioned by Western countries and international organizations, who have called for full publication of ballots. While Venezuela's high court has reaffirmed Maduro's victory, the opposition, supported by several nations including Argentina, continues to challenge the results.

Gonzalez is scheduled to meet with Argentine President Javier Milei, marking the start of his international tour. Argentina has shown strong support for Venezuela's opposition, including providing shelter to five coalition members at their diplomatic compound in Caracas since March.