Venezuela: Gonzalez clings to his victory as the US seizes an oil tanker
Amid rapidly evolving political and economic developments in Venezuela, prominent Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, currently living in exile, renewed his calls for the international community and domestic parties to recognize the opposition's victory in the 2024 presidential elections. These statements coincide with a new US escalation against President Nicolas Maduro's regime, represented by the seizure of oil shipments.
The legitimacy crisis and the presidential elections
González Urrutia stressed on Friday that any democratic transition process in the country must start from the basis of explicit recognition of the results of the vote held on July 28, 2024. Those elections constituted a pivotal point in the modern history of Venezuela, as the unified opposition at the time declared its candidate the winner by a large margin, based on the vote tallies collected from polling stations, while the electoral authorities loyal to the regime declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of a new term, plunging the country into a deep legitimacy crisis whose repercussions are still ongoing.
In a telephone call with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, González stressed that "rebuilding democracy in Venezuela depends on respecting the popular will." González is currently residing in Spain, which granted him political asylum. Madrid plays a pivotal role within the European Union in attempting to find diplomatic solutions to the complex Venezuelan crisis.
Washington is pursuing the "ghost fleet"
In a related development, and further underscoring the continued economic pressure on Caracas, the United States announced the seizure of a fifth oil tanker, the Olena, after it departed from Venezuelan ports. This move comes as part of Washington's efforts to enforce the stringent sanctions imposed on Venezuela's energy sector, which is the main source of funding for the Maduro regime.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated via the X platform that the seized tanker is part of what is known as the "ghost fleet," ships that use stealth and maneuvering techniques to circumvent international sanctions and transport prohibited oil. She indicated that the ship attempted to evade U.S. forces but was intercepted and seized.
The repercussions of the Venezuelan situation
This synchronization between the opposition's political activism abroad and the US military and economic pressure at sea reflects the continued political deadlock in Venezuela. On the one hand, the opposition seeks to maintain the momentum of international recognition of its legitimacy derived from the ballot box, while on the other hand, the United States continues its "maximum pressure" policy to deprive the regime of oil revenues, leaving the country facing open-ended scenarios that could affect the stability of the regional energy market and the future of the political system in Caracas.
