Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez landed in Madrid on Sunday afternoon, Spain said, after fleeing his home country with an arrest warrant accusing him of terrorism, conspiracy and other crimes related to July’s disputed presidential election.
Gonzalez, his wife and Spanish officials landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military air base, according to a statement from Spain’s Foreign Ministry.
But tens of thousands of tallies published by the opposition showed a convincing win for Gonzalez.
Venezuela’s opposition and multiple Latin American leaders refused to recognize Maduro’s victory, which sparked deadly protests during which thousands were arrested.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a statement Saturday that Gonzalez “has left the country and requested political asylum” from Spain.
“The government of Spain is committed to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans,” he wrote on X.
The minister’s office would not give further details on how long Gonzalez had been in the Spanish embassy.
Asked why Gonzalez chose Spain, Haro said he “assumes” it’s because one of Gonzalez’s daughters lives there.
The United States has pressured the Venezuelan government to release specific data regarding its presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of Maduro’s claimed victory.
Opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa posted on his X account that, though Gonzalez had left, the opposition must continue “fighting” to ensure that their claimed election win is respected.
Following his flight from his native country with an arrest warrant accusing him of terrorism, conspiracy, and other offenses connected to July’s contentious presidential election, Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez touched down in Madrid on Sunday afternoon, according to Spain.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry released a statement stating that Gonzalez, his spouse, and government representatives from Spain touched down at the Torrejon de Ardoz military air base. CNN has learned that he is currently applying for asylum in Spain.
Gonzalez claimed on Sunday that he was forced to leave the country due to “coercion and threats” that he would not be permitted to do so; however, he did not specify who had made those threats. In an audio message his press team provided to CNN en Español, Gonzalez expressed his confidence that “very soon, we will continue the fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela” and expressed gratitude to his supporters for their messages of support.
Since the election, which saw the authoritarian incumbent Nicolas Maduro receive 51 percent of the vote and be declared the winner by the nation’s electoral authority, which is stacked with his allies, Venezuela has been in a state of crisis.
However, Gonzalez’s victory was evident in the tens of thousands of votes that the opposition released. Deadly protests broke out in Venezuela, with thousands of people being arrested, after the opposition and several leaders in Latin America refused to acknowledge Maduro’s victory.
The vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, announced on Saturday that Gonzalez “has left the country and requested political asylum” from Spain.
Gonzalez was residing at Spain’s embassy in the nation’s capital, Caracas, she continued, adding that Venezuela had permitted his departure “for the sake of the tranquility and political peace of the country.”. “.
Gonzalez was traveling to Spain “at his own request,” according to Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, aboard a Spanish Air Force aircraft. He posted on X, saying, “The Spanish government is committed to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans.”.
What was the duration of Gonzalez’s stay in the Spanish embassy? The minister’s office refused to comment.
But Gonzalez had previously spent weeks in the Dutch embassy in Caracas, where he had moved in the day after the July 28 election and remained until early September, according to the Dutch foreign ministry, which made this announcement on Sunday.
The Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp, issued a statement saying, “At (Gonzalez’s) urgent request, the day after the elections, I decided to give him hospitality at the state residence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Caracas for as long as necessary.”.
Early in September, according to Veldkamp, Gonzalez declared his plan to depart Venezuela and the Dutch embassy in order “to continue his fight from Spain.”. “.
Gonzalez was listed as the “resident of the Netherlands in Caracas” through September 5 by EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
Gonzalez said that, “despite everything, he expressed his desire to leave and continue his fight from Spain,” according to the Dutch foreign minister, who also emphasized to Gonzalez the “importance of the opposition’s work and the transition to democracy.”. “.
danger to one’s life.
Gonzalez’s attorney, José Vicente Haro, has previously told CNN that his client had not applied for asylum at an embassy. He did, however, tell CNNE on Sunday that Gonzalez had made “different decisions from what he had originally wished for” because of his client’s need “to defend his life and personal safety.”. “.
According to Haro, the decision to depart Venezuela was made very late on Friday night and was based on “privileged and confidential information” regarding a possible threat to his life.
Gonzalez was given two choices, according to the attorney: either “preserve his life” and leave the nation, or “prison unjustly for crimes he didn’t commit.”.
When Haro was asked why Gonzalez had chosen Spain, he said he “assumes” it was because one of Gonzalez’s daughters calls Spain home.
After arriving on a Spanish military aircraft, Gonzalez and his spouse were spotted with their daughter on Sunday outside the Torrejon de Ardoz military air base in Madrid.
The attorney stated that although Gonzalez didn’t base his decision to request asylum primarily on the circumstances outside Argentina’s embassy, Gonzalez did take them into consideration.
After two opposition members sought sanctuary inside the Argentine embassy in Caracas on Friday, joining four others who had done so earlier in the year, Venezuelan security forces surrounded the building.
“Many factors were considered; if the Argentine embassy was under siege, the same could have happened to any other accredited embassy in Venezuela,” Haro stated.
“Sent into exile”.
Gonzalez had been essentially “forced into exile,” according to the Organization of American States (OAS), following the issuance of an arrest warrant last Monday by the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office.
He was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office with “crimes associated with terrorism” in connection with the contested election, and the office claimed he had ignored three summonses pertaining to its investigation into an opposition website that published the results of the contested vote.
Other than claiming it was done for the purpose of maintaining political harmony, the Venezuelan government has not provided an explanation for why it gave safe passage to a citizen who was wanted by the legal system, despite the fact that it claims it “allowed” Gonzalez to depart. Similar safe havens have been awarded by the Maduro government to opposition figures in the past; critics charge that this is part of an effort to silence the opposition through forced absence.
Gonzalez “only did what was required” by the actions of the Venezuelan government, according to the OAS.
The OAS released a statement saying, “The (Maduro) regime has not only failed to produce the slightest evidence of an electoral result but has forced the candidate Edmundo Gonzalez into exile.”.
Amid doubts about the legitimacy of Maduro’s declared victory, the US has put pressure on the Venezuelan government to disclose particular information about the country’s presidential election. Furthermore, it claims that one of Maduro’s planes was purchased in defiance of US sanctions and has taken possession of it.
Even though Gonzalez had departed, opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa stated on his X account that the opposition needs to keep “fighting” to make sure their purported election victory is valued.
“It’s crucial that he was elected, that his election was validated, and that popular sovereignty needs to be upheld,” he declared.
