The Venezuelan government announced on Saturday that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who disputed President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection on July 28, has left the country to seek asylum in Spain.
Venezuela’s vice president stated on social media: “After taking refuge voluntarily at the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, (Gonzalez Urrutia) asked the Spanish government for political asylum… Caracas had agreed to his safe passage.”
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on X: “Gonzalez Urrutia… at his request… departed on a Spanish military plane… Spain is committed to the political rights of all Venezuelans.”
Gonzalez Urrutia’s lawyer, Jose Vicente Haro, confirmed to AFP that the opposition candidate had left for Spain, declining to comment further.
Lawyer Joel Garcia said: “If Gonzalez Urrutia was charged with everything the government has accused him of, he could face a jail sentence of 30 years.”
Venezuela’s electoral authority claimed it cannot provide a full breakdown of the election results due to a cyber attack on its systems, but observers say there is no evidence of any such hacking.
The opposition published its own voting records, showing Gonzalez Urrutia winning 67 percent of the vote, contradicting authorities’ claims that Maduro won with 52 percent.