Edmundo González arrived in Madrid accompanied by his wife and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Government Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío
The plane of the Spanish Air Force transporting Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia to Spain landed at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base (Madrid) around 4:00 PM (2:00 PM GMT).
According to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, González, who was traveling with his wife and accompanied by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, was welcomed by Susana Sumelzo, the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and Spanish in the World.
“From now on, the procedures for the asylum request will begin, which will be resolved favorably in line with Spain’s commitment to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans, especially political leaders,” the department said.
González Urrutia was the candidate for the largest anti-Chavista political group in the presidential elections held last July, which, according to official results endorsed by the Supreme Court, were won by President Nicolás Maduro.
Credit: Ariana Cubillos | AP
Venezuela’s judiciary had ordered the arrest of Edmundo González after he ignored three summonses from the Prosecutor’s Office, which accused him of several crimes for publishing voting records online that would declare him the winner. The opposition claims there was a “major electoral fraud.”
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares had informed the press earlier that Spain would grant the opposition leader the asylum he requested.
He emphasized the Spanish government’s commitment to “political rights, freedom of expression and assembly, and the physical integrity of all Venezuelans.”
Albares pointed out that the decision was made at González’s request when he deemed it appropriate to leave Venezuela after spending time at the Spanish embassy residence in Caracas, though he said he could not provide further details.
Regarding this, Spanish diplomatic sources confirmed that there had been no negotiations between the Spanish and Venezuelan governments, nor between Pedro Sánchez and Nicolás Maduro directly.
Albares stressed that Spain’s position on the situation in Venezuela remains unchanged, continuing to demand the presentation of electoral records from the last presidential elections for verification. Without this, any alleged victory cannot be recognized.
The goal remains to achieve a peaceful and “genuinely Venezuelan” solution, resulting from dialogue and negotiation between Maduro’s government and the opposition.
Information from EFE.
