Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez departed for Spain overnight and sought asylum, officials revealed on Sunday, amidst escalating political and diplomatic turmoil over the contested results of July's election. A flight carrying Gonzalez, who has disputed President Nicolas Maduro's claim of victory, made a stopover in Portugal's Azores islands and was anticipated to arrive in Spain shortly, according to Spanish media. The abrupt departure of the 75-year-old, viewed by the US, the EU, and other regional powers as the legitimate winner of the vote, occurred a week after Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, charging him with conspiracy and other offenses.
"Today marks a sorrowful day for democracy in Venezuela," stated Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, in an official statement. "In a democracy, no political leader should be compelled to seek asylum in another nation." Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez declared on Instagram that authorities had granted Gonzalez safe passage in an effort to restore "political peace." He departed Venezuela after "voluntarily seeking refuge at the Spanish embassy in Caracas several days prior," she noted on Instagram. Gonzalez departed Caracas aboard a Spanish Air Force plane, as confirmed by Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on X, indicating Madrid's response to a request from Gonzalez.
This move signified another dramatic turn in Gonzalez's fortunes, a former diplomat who emerged from retirement to assume the candidacy in March, initially as a placeholder after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and another replacement were unable to stand. Venezuela's opposition asserts that the July 28 election resulted in a decisive victory for Gonzalez, publishing vote tallies online that they claim demonstrate his win. Maduro has dismissed all such allegations and maintains that there is a right-wing conspiracy to undermine his government. There was no immediate comment from the opposition coalition he represented regarding his departure or his movements since the arrest warrant was issued. He had sought refuge at the Dutch and subsequently the Spanish embassy in Venezuela, according to Dutch and Venezuelan officials.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp disclosed on Sunday that Gonzalez had urgently requested refuge at the Dutch embassy the day following the election. "At the start of September, Edmundo Gonzalez expressed his desire to leave the residence and the country... He indicated that he nevertheless wished to depart and continue his struggle from Spain," Veldkamp added. Spanish officials, including former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, engaged in a week of negotiations with Venezuelan authorities, a source with knowledge of the talks informed Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Venezuelan security forces encircled the Argentine embassy in the capital Caracas this weekend, where six Venezuelan political opposition figures opposed to President Nicolas Maduro are also residing. Members of the Venezuelan opposition shared images and videos of security vehicles surrounding the embassy complex.
