• Opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa arrested on charges related to sabotaging elections.
• The arrest is seen as an effort by the Maduro government to control dissent before the vote.
• Interior Minister claims Guanipa was part of a "terrorist network" planning disruptions.
• Opposition calls the elections a farce, urging voters to boycott.
• International leaders express concern over rising political repression in Venezuela.

Leading Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa was arrested on Friday on charges of conspiring to sabotage the upcoming parliamentary and regional elections scheduled for Sunday. His arrest is viewed as a strategic move by the Maduro regime to suppress dissent, especially as opposition leaders, including Maria Corina Machado, have urged voters to boycott the election. In a prewritten message, Guanipa declared he had been "kidnapped" by the Maduro government, stating, “I am not sure what will happen to me in the coming hours, days and weeks” according to Al Jazeera, South China Morning Post, and India Times.

The Venezuelan government has labeled Guanipa's actions as part of a larger “terrorist network” that allegedly plotted to disrupt the election via a series of violent acts. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claimed that authorities discovered plans for bombings and arrested over 70 individuals connected to this supposed plot, including foreign nationals from various countries. Cabello stated, “He is one of the leaders of this terrorist network” according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

Guanipa and other opposition figures have been in hiding following the controversial July 2024 presidential election, which resulted in Nicolás Maduro claiming victory amid accusations of election fraud. The opposition, including Guanipa's coalition, argues that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the election based on their own counts. In response to the recent arrests, Machado accused the government of “STATE TERRORISM, pure and simple,” framing the election as a means for Maduro to consolidate power more firmly, as reported by Al Jazeera, India Times, and South China Morning Post.

The international community has responded with condemnation of the Venezuelan government’s actions, particularly the arrest of Guanipa, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing concern over this wave of repression. He labeled the detention as unjustified, paralleling the broader narrative of escalating political oppression in Venezuela under Maduro's leadership, which has led to considerable migration from the country due to its collapsing economy and human rights violations, according to South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.