Venezuela opposition urges army to side with 'people,' criminal probe launched

CARACAS - Venezuela's opposition leaders on Monday appealed to the army, the main pillar of support for President Nicolas Maduro, to "take the side of the people" after his disputed re-election - a call swiftly met with a criminal probe.

Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation targeting opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia for announcing an election winner other than Maduro, instigating disobedience and insurrection.

While under public pressure to release detailed, precinct-level records backing up its assertion that Maduro won, the National Electoral Council said Monday it had presented all these records to the Supreme Court for certification, as requested by Maduro - but not publicly.

The opposition insists Gonzalez Urrutia was the rightful victor of the 28 July presidential election, which has plunged the oil-rich nation into political crisis.

Multiple countries, including the United States and Argentina, have recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner, while others, such as the European Union, have stopped short of doing so while calling for full publication of voting records.

The contested election sparked protests last week that left at least 11 civilians dead, according to rights groups.

"We appeal to the conscience of soldiers and police officers to take the side of the people and their own families," the opposition said in a statement in which they offered "guarantees to those who fulfil their constitutional duty" in a possible "new government."

The statement, which Gonzalez Urrutia signed as "president-elect," also urges the security forces to halt the "repression" of opposition protests.

The government has reported the deaths of two soldiers in the clashes.

The opposition statement said that top commanders were "aligned with Maduro and his vile interests, while you are represented by the people who went out to vote... whose will was expressed on 28 July, and you know it."

The prosecutors hit back with a statement that said the opposition duo, "outside the constitution and the law, falsely announced a winner of the presidential election different from the one announced by the National Electoral Council."

SUPREME COURT CERTIFICATION

On Friday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) ratified Maduro's victory with 52% of the vote against 43% for Gonzalez Urrutia.

The opposition has uploaded voting records onto a website which it claims show that Gonzalez Urrutia won with 67% of the vote.

The CNE, which the opposition accuses of being aligned to Maduro, has still not provided details of the vote broken down by polling station, and has said it was the victim of computer hacking.

Maduro asked the Supreme Court, which is also loyal to him, to "certify" the election through a process that academics and political leaders have deemed inappropriate.

"There is a Supreme Court, and that court will have the last word on a process that is under attack like never before," Maduro said.

The Supreme Court's electoral section asked the CNE to provide precinct-level voting records, and the council's president said Monday evening that it had complied.

"Everything requested by the republic's highest court has been submitted," CNE chairman Elvis Amoroso said, without giving further details.

The court now has 15 days to study these records, known as "actas" in Spanish, but this timetable can be extended, the court's chief justice, Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez, said as she confirmed having received the documents.

The court summoned Gonzalez Urrutia, who has not been seen in public in about a week, to appear before it Wednesday and Maduro on Friday.

CALL FOR DIALOGUE

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday called for dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition to resolve the election dispute.

"A commitment to peace is what leads us to call the parties to dialogue and to promote understanding between the government and the opposition," Lula said during a state visit to Chile, where he met with President Gabriel Boric.

Lula, a Maduro ally engaged in a sensitive diplomatic balancing act, has urged his Venezuelan counterpart to publish voting records to resolve the dispute.