Edmundo González at the OAS: When we take possession we will decree Venezuela, land of grace

WASHINGTON.- The opposition leader and president-elect of Venezuela, according to the electoral counts that gave him victory, Edmundo González Urrutia, arrived in the US capital with a tight agenda that defied the inclement snowfall that dressed the city in white.

At the Organization of American States, the president-elect, accompanied by his team, met with Secretary General Luis Almagro, for about an hour, behind closed doors.

DIARIO LAS AMERICAS When he left the bilateral agreement with Almagro, he was asked what would be the first measure he would take once he arrived in Venezuela, to which he replied: “The measures we are going to take are contemplated in the Venezuela Tierra de Gracia government program, they are all broken down.”

The meeting with the press was brief, but he managed to say that his team in Washington constantly meets with President-elect Donald Trump’s team, emphasizing the bipartisan nature of the relations he wants to maintain with the United States.

The highlight was when he left the OAS building to greet the group of Venezuelans who, despite the cold, waited for several hours to see the person who promised the long-awaited democratic change in Venezuela.

This newspaper also had the opportunity to talk with some of the group who were waiting outside the Oesian building for the arrival of González Urrutia, and could confirm that they came from different states.

“We already have a new president and his name is Edmundo González and on January 10 we hope he can take over the presidency,” said Miguel Ángel Linares, while Gladys Pena seconded him. They both came from Alabama.

For Carmen Rengifo, from Ohio, their presence was necessary at the doors of the OAS so that they hear the message that Venezuela needs freedom “and here we will be until our country is free again from that tyranny and we can return.”

Addressing the Venezuelans present, González Urrutia thanked them and assured them once again that they were on the right path to recovering democracy.

Referring to his tour that began last Saturday, January 4, through Argentina, Uruguay, the United States, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, he also confirmed his visit to Chile.

This tour takes place just before January 10, the day of the presidential inauguration in Venezuela, in clear challenge to Nicolás Maduro, who proclaimed himself the winning president, challenging the original electoral results, presented by the opposition to the entire world. The opposition María Corina Machado has also called for a massive march, on January 9, both inside and outside Venezuela, to recover the country.

Earlier, González Urrutia held a private meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Room of the White House and upon leaving he told the media present that it had been long and fruitful.

The opposition leader has assured on countless occasions that he will be in Caracas for his inauguration as president on January 10, however, he has been cautious about sharing details for obvious reasons.

In any case, the agenda continues in the Capitol and although not many details are known, apparently he will have a meeting with Florida Senator Rick Scott tomorrow.

Among his team there was a rush to finish the meeting with the press because there was a very important meeting to which they could not be late, but they maintained discretion and did not reveal with whom.

González Urrutia has made numerous calls to the Armed Forces in Venezuela demanding that they recognize him as commander in chief, based on the electoral results.

González Urrutia’s attempt to be sworn in from the Venezuelan capital is accompanied by great risks since the Venezuelan regime has put a price of 100 thousand dollars on his head, obeying an arrest warrant against him for the commission of eight crimes.