Agencies
Washington
US President Joe Biden has called the exiled candidate for Venezuela’s opposition, Edmundo González, “the true winner” of the country’s presidential election last July after meeting him at the White House.
In a social media post, Biden said Venezuela deserved a “peaceful transfer of power”.
González fled to Spain in September after turmoil following Venezuela’s election, in which incumbent President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory - something disputed by González and many sections of the international community.
The Maduro government reacted to the meeting with fury, calling it “grotesque” and accusing Biden of backing a violent anti-democratic project, Reuters news agency reports.
Tension has been rising in the country as the day of the presidential inauguration - set for Friday - approaches, with both Maduro and González telling their supporters that they will be sworn in.
The Maduro government, which has been in power since 2013, has deployed thousands of police and cut off major roads leading into the capital, Caracas, in what is widely seen as a tactic to deter any anti-government protests.
But González, who has been living in exile in Spain since September, says he will defy an arrest warrant which has been issued for him and return to his homeland to take up office.
However, he has not given any details as to how he plans to enter Venezuela, where the government is offering a $100,000 (£80,000) reward for information leading to his arrest. González has also not said how he plans to be sworn in when the National Assembly - the legislative body where the presidential oath is performed - is firmly in the hands of government loyalists.
