2 months ago
16
NEW DELHI:
Venezuelan opposition
leader
Edmundo Gonzalez
sought
asylum
in Spain on Saturday after being in hiding due to a warrant issued for his arrest. The opposition had disputed the results of the July presidential election, which declared Nicolás Maduro as the winner.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that Gonzalez had voluntarily sought refuge at the
Spanish embassy
in Caracas for several days before requesting
political asylum
from the Spanish government.
“Today, September 7, the opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia left the country. Having voluntarily taken refuge at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Caracas for several days, he requested political asylum from that government,” Rodríguez said in a statement shared on Instagram.
“In this regard, once the pertinent contacts between both governments had been made and the case had been reviewed in compliance with international law, Venezuela granted the necessary safe conduct for the sake of the tranquility and political peace of the country. This conduct reaffirms the respect for the law that has prevailed in the actions of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the international community,” she added.
Diplomatic spat with Brazil
Hours before Gonzalez's asylum request, Venezuela revoked Brazil's authorization to represent Argentine interests in the country, including the administration of the embassy where six opposition figures are sheltering. The Venezuelan government claimed that the embassy was being used to plan assassination attempts against President Maduro and Vice President Rodríguez.
Brazil and Argentina expressed surprise and urged Maduro to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Argentina stated, "Any attempt to invade or kidnap asylum seekers who remain in our official residence will be harshly condemned by the international community." Brazil insisted on continuing to defend Argentine interests until Argentina indicates another acceptable state to do so.
Who is Edmundo Gonzalez?
Edmundo Gonzalez, a 75-year-old former diplomat, was a last-minute stand-in candidate when opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from running. Despite being previously unknown to most Venezuelans, his campaign quickly gained support from millions seeking change after a decade-long economic crisis.
Although Maduro was declared the winner of the July vote, most Western governments have not recognized his victory and are demanding that authorities publish a breakdown of votes. Tally sheets collected by opposition volunteers from over two-thirds of the electronic voting machines suggest that Gonzalez won by a significant margin.
