Venezuelan opposition figure returns from exile, calls for temporary judges

Omar González, a Venezuelan opposition figure, has returned to his country after more than a year in exile, immediately calling for a temporary judiciary. González, who arrived in Venezuela on Friday, stated that any judges appointed during the current overhaul of the justice system should be transitional.

Speaking at a rally in Anzoátegui state, González addressed the process led by the Chavista-controlled National Assembly to reform the supreme court. This initiative stems from a dialogue agreement between the government and a faction of the opposition supported by the United States, a group Machado is not part of.

González emphasized the need for "exceptional measures" during these "exceptional times." He specifically mentioned the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. in January. "Decent, honest, but temporary judicial authorities, as well as an equally honest and transparent National Electoral Council, but temporary: After we elect a new government, the country's re-institutionalization will come," he added.

He also expressed confidence that "very soon" all exiled leaders will return to Venezuela, "and fundamentally María Corina Machado," who has been promising her return for months. González had been in exile since May of the previous year, having left the Argentine Embassy after a U.S.-led operation to extract him and four other opposition members who had been sheltering there since March 2024.