CNN
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Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country en route to Spain, according to both nations’ governments, after an arrest warrant was issued last week accusing him of terrorism, conspiracy and other crimes related to July’s disputed presidential election.
Venezuela has been in a state of crisis since the poll, in which authoritarian incumbent Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner by the country’s electoral authority – a body stacked with his allies – with 51% of the vote.
But tens of thousands of tallies published by the opposition showed a convincing win for Gonzalez. Venezuela’s opposition and multiple Latin American leaders refused to recognize Maduro’s victory, which sparked deadly protests during which thousands were arrested.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a statement Saturday that Gonzalez “has left the country and requested political asylum” from Spain.
She added that Gonzalez had been staying at Spain’s embassy in the capital Caracas, as a “voluntary refugee,” and that Venezuela allowed him to leave “for the sake of the tranquility and political peace of the country.”
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Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Gonzalez was “at his own request” flying to Spain on a Spanish Air Force plane. “The Government of Spain is committed to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans,” he wrote on X.
The minister’s office would not give further details on how long Gonzalez had been in the embassy.
Gonzalez’s lawyer José Vicente Haro confirmed to CNNe that his client had left for Spain, where he would take asylum.
The Venezuela Prosecutor’s Office requested the arrest warrant for Gonzalez on Monday, accusing him of “crimes associated with terrorism.” Gonzalez has failed to respond to three summons regarding its investigation into an opposition website that posted results from the contested vote, it said.
The United States recently placed pressure on the Venezuelan government to “immediately” release specific data regarding its presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of Maduro’s claimed victory, as it also seized one of Maduro’s planes, saying it was bought in violation of US sanctions.
Opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa posted on his X account that, though Gonzalez had left, the opposition must continue “fighting” to ensure that their claimed election win is respected.
“The important thing is that he was elected, that his election was proven and that popular sovereignty must be respected,” he said.