To everyone’s surprise, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the Venezuelan opposition candidate who claims victory in the July 28 presidential election against Nicolas Maduro, left Venezuela on Saturday, September 7, for Spain, which granted him asylum. The authorities in Caracas issued him a safe conduct “in the interest of peace” of the country.
Venezuela has been mired in political crisis since the election that saw Nicolas Maduro officially re-elected for a third six-year term. The opposition is contesting the re-election.
“Today, September 7, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia (…) left the country. After taking voluntary refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, he requested political asylum in Madrid.wrote Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on social media. “Venezuela has granted the necessary safe conducts in the interest of peace and political tranquility in the country”she said.
“I confirm that he left for Spain”Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia’s lawyer, José Vicente Haro, told Agence France-Presse, saying he could not comment further. According to a source close to the opposition, he left Venezuela with his wife, Mercedes.
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« On demand, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia flies to Spain on board a Spanish Air Force plane. Madrid commits to respecting the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans”said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, on social networks, repeating the terms of a government press release.
Targeted by an arrest warrant
A former ambassador, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, had agreed at short notice to replace opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as presidential candidate, who had been declared ineligible. The opponent, who had been living in hiding for over a month, had been the subject of an arrest warrant since September 3 for failing to appear for three summonses from the prosecutor’s office concerning an investigation into the opposition website that gave him the victory. He had not been seen in public since July 30.
The investigation includes accusations of “disobedience to the laws”of “conspiracy”, d’“usurpation of functions” et of « sabotage »The opposition and many observers consider that justice is at the beck and call of those in power.
Nicolas Maduro, whose victory was validated by the Supreme Court on August 22, was declared the winner with 52% of the vote by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which has not made public the minutes of the polling stations, saying it was the victim of a computer hack. Such an attack is considered implausible by the opposition and many observers, who see it as a maneuver by the government to avoid disclosing the exact count. According to the opposition, which published minutes provided by its poll workers, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia would have obtained more than 60% of the vote.
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The United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries do not recognize Mr. Maduro’s re-election. This had already been the case in 2018 after an election that was boycotted by an opposition that had cried fraud. After the announcement of the results of the election, on July 28, spontaneous demonstrations broke out. They left twenty-seven dead and 192 injured, while some 2,400 people were arrested, according to official sources.
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“Maduro thinks he can kill people, make them disappear, put them in detention, and nothing will happen.denounced the opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, on Thursday. This is not true (…) He must be held accountable for the crimes he committed.”
The International Criminal Court had opened an investigation into possible crimes against humanity following the repression of protests in 2017 that left some 200 dead.
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