Venezuelan opposition candidate Gonzalez won’t appear before court and questions election audit

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The presidential campaign of Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González says he will not appear before the country’s high court. The court is holding hearings related to an election audit requested by President Nicolás Maduro. González has questioned the legality of the proceedings and expressed serious concerns over his safety. The hearings follow days of global criticism of Maduro and his loyal National Electoral Council over presidential election results. Electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner but have yet to produce voting tallies. Meanwhile, the opposition claims to have collected records from more than 80% of the 30,000 electronic voting machines nationwide showing he lost.