2 months ago
17
Former Venezuelan opposition
presidential candidate
Edmundo
Gonzalez
has fled into exile after being granted asylum in
Spain
, delivering a major blow to millions who placed their hopes in his upstart campaign to end two decades of single-party rule.
The surprise departure of the man considered by
Venezuela
's opposition and several foreign govts, including the US and EU, to be the legitimate winner of July's presidential race was announced Saturday night by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
She said the govt decided to grant Gonzalez safe passage out of the country to help restore "the country's political peace and tranquility." The dramatic exit of the 75-year-old came a week after authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes.
Spain's centre-left govt said the decision to leave was Gonzalez's alone and he departed on a plane sent by the country's air force. Foreign minister
Jose Manuel Albares
said his govt will grant Gonzalez
political asylum
as he requested. "I have been able to speak to (Gonzalez) and once he was aboard the airplane he expressed gratitude toward the Spanish govt. I told him we were pleased he is well and on his way to Spain, and I reiterated the commitment of our govt to the political rights of all Venezuelans." Spanish PM
Pedro Sanchez
said Friday, before Gonzalez's departure, that he was "a hero whom Spain is not going to abandon."
EU foreign affairs chief
Josep Borrell
described it as "a sad day for democracy in Venezuela," and disclosed the Dutch were involved in helping Gonzalez. The Netherlands secretly sheltered Gonzalez at Dutch embassy in Caracas for six weeks before he fled.
Exiled opposition leader Franco Casella said Gonzalez will campaign against the regime from abroad. Spain has been a major point of exodus for Venezuelans, particularly those in opposition to Maduro's regime. Some 44,000 people immigrated to Spain in first six months of 2024. agencies
