“We are committed to carrying out a transition that guarantees the freedom of political prisoners, the return of exiles and all Venezuelans who left and wish to return,” said González in a video posted on social media.
More than 7 million people have left Venezuela in recent years, most of them migrating to neighboring countries in Latin America.
Although Maduro’s government agreed to a prisoner exchange deal with the United States in December, freeing dozens of Venezuelans and some Americans, opposition members and activists have been detained recently for what supporters say are unfounded reasons.
“It’s time to march together for the recovery of our democracy, it’s time to put aside our differences and work together to achieve electoral victory,” said González in his first further comments since being nominated as a presidential candidate.
González, who worked as a diplomat in Algeria and Argentina, said he did not expect to be a candidate, but that action needed to be taken on poverty, inflation, health and education, and that irregular water and electricity supplies were harming economic growth. .
He did not mention Maduro, a socialist whose government is facing a deep economic crisis marked by shortages of basic products, sky-high inflation and repression of political dissent.
Tags: Venezuelan opposition candidate defends return exiles release political prisoners
