The representative of the opposition party in Venezuela says that the son-in-law has been kidnapped Nicolas Maduro News

Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran against Nicolas Maduro in July's presidential election, says masked men kidnapped his son-in-law in Caracas.

Edmundo Gonzalez, an opposition leader in Venezuela, has accused masked men of kidnapping his son-in-law, who is still missing.

Gonzalez, who ran for the country's presidential election in July, announced the news on social media on Tuesday.

“This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped,” Gonzalez wrote.

“Rafael was going to the school of my grandchildren, aged 7 and 6, in Caracas, to drop them off for the start of classes, he was caught by men wearing black hats, who put him in a gold colored van. license plate AA54E2C they took him and went with him. He is now lost.”

Gonzalez himself is currently facing an arrest warrant in Venezuela, where he has asserted that he is the rightful winner of the July 28 presidential contest.

That put him at odds with the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, who also claimed victory. Maduro is expected to be sworn in for a third term on Friday.

Opposition parties and other critics of Maduro's government protested the election and the official results, which they said were not transparent and unfair.

Pre-election polls appeared to show Maduro closely trailing Gonzalez. But shortly after the polls closed, the country's administration declared Maduro the winner, without releasing the usual breakdown of polling numbers.

Venezuela's opposition has argued that advanced statistics show Gonzalez beating Maduro by a margin of two to one, and have published what appear to be official statistics online.

That raised doubts about the legitimacy of his victory, and protesters filled the streets in cities like Caracas after the vote.

The government has been accused of leading a campaign of violence against protesters and political opponents following the election.

About 2,000 people were initially arrested, and 23 died, although Maduro's government recently released 1,515 prisoners. His administration has long been plagued by allegations of political repression and human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention.

In September, Venezuelan government prosecutors accused Gonzalez of conspiracy, usurpation and forgery, and a court issued a warrant for his arrest.

The opposition leader fled the country and went into exile in Spain. But he has vowed to return to Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government has repeatedly said that Gonzalez will be arrested if he returns.

Maduro and his allies have maintained that Gonzalez and other opposition members are collaborating with hostile foreign countries to disrupt the country.

In early January, Gonzalez left Spain to drum up support on a cross-American tour and put pressure on Maduro's government.

He has already visited Argentina and Uruguay, and on Monday, he met with US President Joe Biden, whose government recognized Gonzalez as the president-elect in November.

While regional leaders have expressed skepticism about Maduro's claims of victory and condemned the crackdown on protesters, it remains unclear what leverage could be used on Gonzalez's behalf.