Venezuelan anti-Maduro candidate says he will not give up – DW – 09.09.2024

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez arrived in Spain on Sunday, where he is expected to apply for asylum after fleeing his home country, according to Spanish officials.

The United States and many Latin American countries consider 75-year-old González to be the true winner of the Venezuelan presidential election on July 28. The electoral commission and the Supreme Court had declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro had won the election.

Due to a worsening political crisis, Gonzalez was forced into hiding last month. This week, an arrest warrant was issued against the politician. He is accused of attempted usurpation of office and incitement to insurrection, among other things.

What do we know about Gonzalez’s arrival in Spain?

Gonzalez arrived with his wife at the Torrejón de Ardoz military base near Madrid on Sunday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Instagram that authorities had granted Gonzalez safe passage to Spain to restore “political peace.”

He left Venezuela after “voluntarily seeking refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago,” she wrote.

Madrid said there had been no talks between the Spanish and Venezuelan governments about González’s departure.

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said González would “of course” be granted asylum.

Hours after his arrival, Gonzalez sent a short voice message to his supporters.

“My departure from Caracas was accompanied by pressure, coercion and threats,” he said.

“I trust that we will continue our fight for our freedom and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Gonzalez had fled to protect his “freedom, his integrity and his life.”

“The increasing threats, summons, arrest warrants and even attempts at blackmail and coercion to which he has been subjected show that the regime knows no scruples or limits in its obsession with silencing and breaking him,” she wrote.

Gonzalez will continue to fight for the opposition from Spain, Machado added.

How did the EU and the USA react?

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said González’s departure was “a sad day for democracy in Venezuela.”

“In a democracy, no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country,” he said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Gonzalez the “best hope” for Venezuela’s democracy.

“Venezuelans voted for change. Maduro’s post-election repression has killed or imprisoned thousands, and the winning candidate @EdmundoGU remains the best hope for democracy,” he said.

“We must not allow Maduro and his representatives to cling to power by force. The will of the people must be respected.”

How did the presidential election in Venezuela turn out?

Venezuela’s electoral authority CNE, which consists of supporters of the president, declared 61-year-old Maduro the election winner.

According to the CNE, Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, received 51 percent of the vote.

The opposition, however, said González had won an overwhelming victory, receiving 67 percent of the vote while Maduro received only 30 percent.

Maduro’s opponents have published vote counts online that they believe point to González’s victory and have denounced what they believe to be widespread electoral fraud.

Large parts of the international community also refused to accept the result without receiving a detailed breakdown of the votes from the electoral authorities, which has not yet been provided.

Since the election, the police have taken tough action against anti-Maduro demonstrators.

The non-governmental human rights organization PROVEA said 25 people had died and more than 2,400 people had been arrested.

mm/rm (AFP, dpa, Reuters)