The Venezuelan government said Saturday that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who disputed President Nicolas Maduro’s July 28 reelection, has left the country to seek asylum in Spain.
Gonzalez Urrutia had been in hiding for a month, ignoring three successive summons to appear before prosecutors, saying attending the hearing could have cost his freedom.
“After taking refuge voluntarily at the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, (Gonzalez Urrutia) asked the Spanish government for political asylum,” Venezuela’s vice president said on social media, adding that Caracas had agreed to his safe passage.
On X, Madrid’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated that Gonzalez Urrutia had left on a Spanish military plane “at his request,” and that Spain was “committed to the political rights” of all Venezuelan citizens.
Gonzalez Urrutia’s lawyer, Jose Vicente Haro, also confirmed to AFP that the opposition candidate had left for Spain but declined to say further.
Venezuela has been in a political crisis since July 28, when authorities declared Maduro the winner of the election.
The opposition called foul, alleging they had evidence Gonzalez Urrutia had won by a large majority.
Many countries, notably the United States, the European Union, and several Latin American countries, have refused to acknowledge Maduro as the winner unless Caracas releases complete poll results.
Following the election, Venezuelan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez Urrutia, citing his claim that he was the real winner.
Disputed election results
Lawyer Joel Garcia, who has defended Venezuelan opposition activists, stated that if Gonzalez Urrutia is prosecuted with everything the government has accused him of, he may face a 30-year prison sentence.
Maduro was re-elected to a third six-year term with 52% of the vote, according to authorities.
The opposition presented its own voting figures, claiming Gonzalez Urrutia received 67 percent of the vote.
Venezuela’s electoral body has stated that it is unable to offer a complete breakdown of the election results, citing a cyber attack on its computers.
Observers claim there is no evidence of such hacking.
Venezuela’s post-election violence has killed 27 people and injured 192 others, with the government claiming to have arrested over 2,400 people.
Prior to the election, Gonzalez Urrutia was a relatively unknown former diplomat.
He became the last-minute presidential candidate when the primary opposition figure, Machado, was barred from standing by state entities perceived to be loyal to Maduro.
Following Venezuela’s last election in 2018, Maduro was declared the winner despite extensive allegations of fraud.
He has headed the oil-rich but cash-strapped nation since 2013.
During his term, which has been marred by both domestic economic incompetence and foreign sanctions, GDP has fallen by 80 percent, and more than seven million of the country’s 30 million residents have emigrated.