Venezuela issues arrest warrant for opposition leader

Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia on Monday night.

The warrant comes after officials declared President Nicolas Maduro to be the winner of Venezuela's election in July, despite opposition parties claiming to be in possession of tally documents that show Gonzalez with more votes.

International observers have also disputed the official tally.

The prosecutor who submitted the arrest warrant to court accused Gonzales of terrorism-related crimes, including charges of conspiracy, falsifying documents and usurpation of powers.

The attorney general's office said the court had accepted the arrest warrant for "serious crimes."

Opposition rallies behind Gonzalez

Venezuelans have repeatedly taken to the streets to dispute the official outcome of the election.

The US, EU and several Latin American countries say the results are fraudulent and that Gonzalez is the real winner.

Gonzalez has so far ignored three summons to appear before prosecutors investigating him.

Also under investigation was opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whom Gonzales replaced on the ballot after she was disqualified.

"They have lost all sense of reality," Machado said in response to the arrest warrant for Gonzales on Monday.

"By threatening the president-elect, they only manage to unite us more and increase the support of Venezuelans and the world for Edmundo Gonzalez," she added.

zc/rm (AFP, Reuters, AP)