Self-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said his son-in-law was kidnapped Tuesday in Venezuela’s capital. González, who was traveling in the United States, said Rafael Tudares was kidnapped while on his way to drop off González’s two grandchildren at school in Caracas. In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.” He did not say what happened to his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren. The kidnapping happened despite a significant increase in police and military presence since New Year’s Day across Caracas ahead of Friday’s swearing-in ceremony for Maduro, who the government says won a third term in the July election. The government’s centralized press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. González, a retired diplomat, represented Venezuela’s Unitary Platform opposition coalition in the presidential election, which he and Maduro both claim to have won. The platform in a statement characterized Tudares’ kidnapping as a “forced disappearance for political reasons.” “We demand the immediate release of Rafael Tudares and all political prisoners, who are hostages of a regime that knows it is rejected by the vast majority of Venezuelans who spoke with the force of the vote (on July 28),” the coalition said in the statement. González left Venezuela for exile in Spain in September after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an election-related investigation. In recent weeks, he has vowed to return to his homeland to take the oath of office. González, 75, is touring the Americas to try to rally support for his effort to get Maduro out of office by Friday. That’s when, by law, the South American country’s next presidential term begins. On Monday, González met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as well as with U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be his national security adviser once he is sworn in on Jan. 20. González, who has been recognized by several governments including the U.S. as Venezuela’s president-elect, has not explained how he plans to return to the troubled country or wrest power from Maduro, whose ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela controls all aspects of government. González had never run for office before July. The Unitary Platform coalition selected him in April as a last-minute stand-in for opposition powerhouse María Corina Machado, who was blocked by the Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice from running for any office. Machado last week urged supporters to demonstrate across Venezuela on Thursday, telling them in a video message that Maduro will not step down on his own and they “must make him leave.” Maduro has asked his supporters to demonstrate Friday. But it is unclear whether anyone will heed calls to head to the streets with the increased security presence. On Tuesday, despite being the first day of school after the holidays, children were nowhere to be seen during morning rush hour in Caracas, and some schools remained closed. “There is tension. As soon as night falls, the city is like a ghost town,” Caracas resident Mari Jimenez said. “We do not feel confident seeing so many police.” Hours after announcing his son-in-law’s kidnapping, González said he was […]