Former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia left for Spain after a warrant for his arrest was issued on charges of terrorism, conspiracy and other offences.
González, 75, who ran against President Nicolás Maduro in July, left office after voluntarily seeking refuge at the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, according to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. González’s departure from Venezuela is the latest political development following the country’s 28 July elections.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares posted on X: “Edmundo González has taken off from Caracas heading to Spain on a Spanish Air Force plane.” The minister’s office would not release details about how long González was at the embassy.
Apart from, earlier this week, the prosecutors issued the arrest warrant for González in connection with the online publication of the vote, accusing him of usurpation of power, falsification of public documents and conspiracy, among other charges, prompting González to seek another country to stay in.
The incumbent President Maduro emerged as the winner of the election with 51 per cent of the vote by the country’s electoral commission. On the other hand, tens of thousands of counts published by the opposition showed a convincing victory for González with 83 per cent of the vote. Venezuela’s opposition and numerous Latin American leaders refused to recognise Maduro’s victory. Serious protests broke out in the country, during which thousands of people faced arrest.
Many countries strongly criticised the Venezuelan government’s handling of the vote. The United States pressured the Venezuelan government to release specific data about the presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of Maduro’s claimed victory. It also confiscated one of Maduro’s aircraft, claiming its purchase violated US sanctions.
