Nicolas Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, claims to have defeated the president wanted by Venezuela.

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan government on Sunday doubled down on its plans to arrest the opposition leader who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s elections, in the form of a threat from congress controlled by the ruling party.

Without mentioning Edmundo González by name, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the unicameral assembly would order the immediate arrest of the retired diplomat if he entered Venezuelan soil. The threat follows the government’s recent announcement of a $100,000 reward for information on González’s whereabouts and comes less than a week before the start of Venezuela’s next presidential term.

González left Venezuela for exile in Spain in September after a judge issued an arrest warrant for him in an election-related investigation. In recent weeks he has promised to travel to Venezuela to take the oath of office for the presidential term which, by law, must begin on January 10, but he has not explained how he plans to return or take back power from Maduro , whose party controls everything. institutions and the military.

“This unworthy being… declared that he was going to return to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Rodriguez said shortly after his re-election as president of the National Assembly. “Any deputy who defends peace will demand, if he touches a piece of land in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, his immediate arrest.”

González began a tour of the Americas on Saturday with stops in Argentina and Uruguay, when he told reporters he would next travel to the United States and hoped to speak with President Joe Biden. He said he also plans to travel to Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, Maduro has already received an invitation from the National Assembly to be sworn in for a third term on Friday, more than five months after the country’s National Electoral Council, made up of ruling party loyalists, declared him the winner elections of July 28.

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PHOTOS: Venezuela steps up efforts to arrest opposition leader who claims to have defeated Maduro

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Unlike previous presidential elections, election authorities did not provide detailed vote counts. Yet the opposition collected tally sheets from more than 80 percent of the country’s electronic voting machines, posted them online and said they showed González won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Global condemnation of the lack of transparency prompted Maduro to ask Venezuela’s High Court, also controlled by supporters of the ruling party, to verify the results. The court then reaffirmed its victory.

The United States and most European governments have rejected the official election results and view González as the rightful winner.

Rodriguez told National Assembly members on Sunday that their possible request for González’s arrest would be based on a recently approved measure that allows for the prosecution of anyone expressing support for economic sanctions like those imposed by the United States against Venezuela.