Venezuelan opposition leader lands in Spain after fleeing homeland

 

The opposition candidate in Venezuela’s recent presidential election has arrived in Spain after fleeing his home country.

A Spanish Air Force plane carrying Edmundo González has landed at Torrejon Air Base in Madrid, where he will be granted political asylum.

Mr. González had been hiding in Venezuela.

An arrest warrant was issued for him after the opposition contested the results of July’s presidential election, which saw incumbent President Nicolás Maduro win a third term.

Venezuela’s opposition general leader, María Corina Machado, said Mr. González fled “to preserve his freedom, his integrity and his life.”

He accused Maduro’s administration of unleashing “a brutal wave of repression” after the election, the results of which have been questioned by many nations in the region.

Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek Saab, said Sunday that the Venezuelan government had agreed with Madrid to grant him safe passage.

Maduro’s deputy had previously said the intention was to restore “political peace” after González “voluntarily” sought refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas.

However, Spain’s Foreign Ministry said there had been no official talks with the Venezuelan government regarding Mr González’s resignation.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Madrid had granted asylum to Mr González because it was “committed to protecting the political rights” of all Venezuelans.

The 75-year-old’s departure came a week after Venezuelan authorities attempted to arrest Mr. González, accusing him of conspiracy and forging documents, among other “serious crimes.”

He had been in hiding since July 30, fearing arrest following statements by top government politicians that he should be “behind bars.”

Mr González was not well known before March this year, when the main opposition coalition registered him as its candidate.

Ms. Machado had won the open primary with 93 percent of the vote, but the opposition was seeking an alternative candidate after she was barred from running for public office.

After another opposition candidate was also excluded from the race, Mr. González’s name was put forward.

Fearing that he too might be barred from running, the opposition kept González in the shadows, while Ms. Machado toured the country urging people to vote for him.

The opposition claimed to have evidence that González had won by a wide margin and uploaded detailed vote tallies to the Internet, suggesting that González had convincingly defeated Maduro.

The opposition has questioned the validity of a victory for President Maduro

Venezuela’s electoral body has not released the results of the vote, despite international pressure to do so.
The United States, the European Union and most foreign governments refused to recognize Maduro as the winner, without Caracas publishing detailed voting data to prove the result.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, described Mr González’s escape as “a sad day for democracy in Venezuela”.

“Those Who Are About to Die Salute You”, by Lasisi Olagunju

He added: “In a democracy, no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country.”

Some nations have recognized Mr González as Venezuela’s president, while Mr Maduro’s allies, including Russia, China and Iran, have expressed support for the election outcome.

Spain’s foreign minister reiterated on Sunday that until the vote counts are done and verified, Madrid will not recognize Mr Maduro’s victory.

Mr Albares said that Spain “will promote dialogue and negotiations between the government and the opposition to reach a peaceful solution”.

Mr González’s resignation came as Venezuelan security forces surrounded the Argentine embassy in the capital Caracas, where six opposition figures had taken refuge.

The country’s Foreign Ministry said terrorist attacks were underway inside.

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