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The United States has condemned an arrest warrant issued for Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez.

Let’s bring you up to speed: Over the weekend, Venezuela’s attorney general office confirmed that an arrest warrant was issued for Gonzalez. According to Venezuelan officials, Gomez is wanted for “conspiracy and falsifying documents” related to the presidential election that many say was fraudulent. 

What the US is saying: In a statement, White House National Security Council spokesman said, “This is just another example of Mr. Maduro’s efforts to maintain power by force and to refuse to recognize that Mr. Gonzalez won the most votes on the 28th of July. We’re considering a range of options to demonstrate to Mr. Maduro and his representatives that their actions in Venezuela will have consequences.”

Previous calls from Maduro for his arrest: Shortly after the election, Nicolas Maduro said, “This man has the nerve to say he doesn’t recognize laws, he doesn’t recognize anything. What’s up with that? That’s unacceptable. Citizens agree that laws have to work and that officials do their job.”

Reactions from the opposition: While Gonzalez has not publicly commented on the arrest warrant, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said, “Maduro has lost all touch with reality. The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement. Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our quest for freedom.”

Digging Deeper: The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela announced that Nicolás Maduro won the July 28 presidential election with 51.2% of the vote. However, the CNE has faced significant criticism for not releasing precinct-level results from the voting machines, raising serious concerns about the transparency and legitimacy of the election process. Despite the claims from the government, opposition tally sheets have indicated that their candidate secured 66% of the vote based on 80% of the tally sheets they recovered.