Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia

About

Venezuelan politician, diplomat, and international affairs expert who became internationally known as the Unity Platform's presidential candidate in Venezuela's 2024 election. He is widely recognized by many countries and opposition groups as Venezuela's legitimate president-elect after winning the disputed July 2024 election. He is also known for having served as Venezuela's ambassador to Algeria from 1991 to 1993 and as ambassador to Argentina from 1998 to 2002.

Before fame

He earned a degree in international studies from the Central University of Venezuela. He completed a master's degree in international relations at American University in Washington, D.C. in 1981. He began his career in Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs working in diplomatic posts in El Salvador and Belgium. He had become a first secretary connected to Venezuela's mission in the United States by the late 1970s. He served as Director General of International Policy from 1994 to 1999. He retired from Venezuela's foreign service in 2004 and spent the next two decades working as a visiting professor at Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas and as an international affairs analyst with institutions such as the Fermín Toro Institute of Parliamentary Studies. 

Trivia

He and opposition leader María Corina Machado were awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2024. He became one of Venezuela's most followed political figures online during the 2024 election cycle. He left Venezuela following the political fallout from the 2024 election and the issuance of an arrest warrant and relocated to Madrid, Spain where he has lived in exile since 2024.

Family life

He was born and raised in La Victoria, Aragua, Venezuela. He married Mercedes Marina López in 1973. They have two daughters together named Mariana del Carmen González and Carolina González. He has four grandchildren.

Associated with

He became globally known through his opposition to Nicolás Maduro's rule.