Opposition leader’s son-in-law kidnapped in Caracas

CARACAS. (AP):

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was kidnapped on Tuesday in the capital, Caracas.

González said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while on his way to drop off González’s two grandchildren at school. In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-coloured van”. He did not say what happened to his six- and seven-year-old grandchildren.

The kidnapping occurred despite a significant increase in police and military presence since New Year’s Day across Caracas ahead of Friday’s presidential swearing-in ceremony.

The government’s centralised press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

González, a retired diplomat, represented Venezuela’s main opposition coalition in the July presidential election, which he and Maduro both claim to have won.

He left Venezuela for exile in Spain in September after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an election-related investigation. In recent weeks, he has vowed to return to his homeland to take the oath of office.

González, 75, is touring the Americas to try to rally support for his effort to get Maduro out of office by Friday. That’s when, by law, the South American country’s next presidential term begins. On Monday, González met with US President Joe Biden at the White House as well as with US Rep Mike Waltz, US President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be his national security adviser once he is sworn in on January 20.

González, who has been recognised by several governments, including the US, as Venezuela’s president-elect, has not explained how he plans to return to the troubled country or wrest power from Maduro, whose ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela controls all aspects of government.

González had never run for office before July, when he represented the Unitary Platform coalition. The coalition selected him in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice from running for any office.