Edmundo González Urrutia

Edmundo González Urrutia (born 29 August 1949) is a Venezuelan opposition politician, diplomat and political analyst. He served as the Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina and Algeria. González also sits on the editorial board of El Nacional. He is currently a presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform political alliance for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election.

Early life and education
González was born in La Victoria, Aragua in 1949 to a schoolteacher and shopkeeper. He received a degree in international studies from the Central University of Venezuela and a Master of Arts in international relations from the American University in 1981.

Diplomatic career
González began his diplomatic career working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela. He was posted in El Salvador and Belgium before serving as a first secretary for the Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States, in 1978.

From 1991 to 1993, González served as the Venezuelan Ambassador to Algeria. He was the General Directorate of International Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999. In late February 1999, González arrived in Argentina beside the newly inaugurated president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, receiving his credentials to serve as ambassador. While in Argentina, he promoted Venezuela's entry into Mercosur. His position as ambassador in Argentina ended in 2002.

Political career
From 2013 to 2015, González was the international representative for the Venezuelan opposition's political alliance, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD).

Presidential candidacy
He became the main opposition's presidential candidate in April 2024.

Background
In the 2020s, he became the president of the opposition's political alliance, the Unitary Platform, the successor of MUD.

After the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared María Corina Machado–who won the 2023 Unitary Platform presidential primaries–ineligible for holding political office in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election and Machado's alternate candidate Corina Yoris faced complications preventing her from filing her candidacy, González was entered as a Unitary Platform presidential candidate.

On 20 April, the other major opposition candidate Manuel Rosales suspended his candidacy and endorsed González.

Campaign
On 26 March 2024, the CNE confirmed that González was a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Platform
González stated in April 2024 in an interview with AFP that "Venezuela must put aside [internal] struggles, political diatribe, confrontation, and we must all fight for Venezuela's recovery and transition. That is what's fundamental," arguing for his candidacy as one of "my contribution to unity, to the struggle for a democratic transition."

González stated in the same interview that "I have no personal aspirations ... never, never, never imagin[ing] I would be in this position, but that is secondary to the challenge ahead." González still refers to Machado as "the leader of the opposition" and "the leader of this unitary process."

González stated his goal to be "bring[ing] Venezuelans together (and) the return[ing] of political exiles" followed by "the recovery of the economy and of democracy."

Political views
González political views have been described as centrist and he as an apolitical "consensus maker."

Attitude to Maduro
González was apolitical during his diplomatic service, working for the socialist Hugo Chávez and the social democrat Carlos Andrés Pérez. While González worked against the Chávez-Maduro adminsitrations, his attitude has been described as conciliatory. While former presidential candidate María Corina Machado supported prosecution of the human rights abuses of the Maduro government, subsequently being disqualified, González has repeatedly supported talks with Maduro.

Personal life
González is married to Mercedes López de González and has four grandchildren. As a bird-loving grandfather, he likes baseball, family barbecues, and reading.