González was wanted with an arrest warrant because the opposition, the USA and others declared him the election winner. The government now says he was in the Spanish embassy and is letting him go.
Around six weeks after the presidential election in Venezuela, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, opposition leader Edmundo González has left the country. He is travelling to Spain on a Spanish Air Force plane of his own volition, the Foreign Ministry in Madrid announced. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said González had applied for asylum, “which the Spanish government will of course process and grant.”
Albares was quoted by the Spanish state TV station RTVE as saying that he had spoken to the Venezuelan. From the plane, he expressed his gratitude to the government and Spain. “And I reiterated the government’s commitment to the political rights of all Venezuelans.” The left-wing government in Madrid will work for dialogue and negotiations between the government and the opposition “in order to achieve a peaceful solution for the Venezuelans,” he stressed.
After the presidential election on July 28, the party-line electoral authority declared the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power for eleven years, the winner. However, it did not publish the detailed results. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for González, against whom an arrest warrant was issued last week.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez wrote on Instagram that González had been staying in Spain’s embassy in the capital Caracas for days and had asked the EU country for asylum. There had been contacts between the two governments and Venezuela had finally granted González safe passage in the interests of political peace.
The opposition did not initially provide any public information on this. It is unclear to what extent González’s departure will change the political situation.
The USA and several Latin American countries recognise González as the election winner. The European Union also doubts the official election result.
The opposition had published data on the election: according to them, results from more than 83 percent of the voting districts. According to this, González received 67 percent of the votes – and Maduro only 30 percent.
González wanted with arrest warrant
González, 75, became a candidate after opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from holding public office due to alleged irregularities during her time as a member of parliament. A court issued an arrest warrant for González last week. He was accused of usurping office, inciting disregard for the law, conspiracy and sabotage, among other things.
González ignored three summonses from the Attorney General’s Office. The former diplomat’s whereabouts were recently unknown. Machado is also in hiding. Maduro said both belong behind bars.
The election sparked protests that were violently suppressed by the state. According to the human rights organization Provea, 25 people were killed and more than 2,400 were arrested. The opposition denounced arbitrary arrests of some of its representatives.
Venezuela bans Brazil from representing Argentina
Six opposition members had already sought refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas in March and are still there. After Argentina’s diplomats were expelled from Venezuela in a dispute over the election result, Brazil has been managing its neighbouring country’s embassy since August. This will no longer be permitted, the Venezuelan government announced on Saturday. The reason is evidence that terrorist activities and assassination plots against Maduro and Vice President Rodríguez were planned in the embassy.
According to Argentina’s government, the embassy has been surrounded by Venezuelan security forces and secret service agents since Friday evening (local time). On Friday, Argentina asked the prosecution of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to request an arrest warrant against Maduro.
Some countries do not recognize Maduro’s victory
Maduro’s previous re-election in 2018 had not been recognized by many countries. The then parliamentary president, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president, but was unable to assert himself in the country – mainly because the military stood behind Maduro. Maduro had become president in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez as his designated successor.
Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions. More than 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to UN figures, more than seven million people – around a quarter of the population – have left the country in recent years.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
