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Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González fled to Spain on Saturday, having taken refuge in the Spanish embassy after an arrest warrant was issued against him as part of President Nicolás Maduro’s political crackdown.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan security forces are said to be Argentine Embassy in Caracasthe BBC reported, where other opposition politicians are also believed to be hiding.
González ran against Maduro in the country’s much-publicized presidential election in July, which both claimed to have won. However, with the support of the country’s courts and military, Maduro was eventually declared the winner, despite international criticism and a lack of evidence to support the claim.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities exiled González in an effort to “contribute to political peace.” Opposition leader María Corina Machado – who was not allowed to run in the presidential election – remains in hiding and is apparently no current plans to flee the countryBut she said Thursday that it is “more difficult and risky” to stay as the political crisis intensifies.
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Venezuela has used arrest warrants in the past to force opposition figures into exile, The Caracas Chronicles noted: Maduro “could have arrested them at any timebut apparently refused, potentially leaving González – and his claim to the presidency – behind.
Several countries had recognized González as the rightful winner of the July elections, while thousands of people have been arrested in Venezuela during protests against Maduro, although it is unclear what impact González’s departure will have on the ongoing unrest.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said González’s flight was “a sad day for democracy in Venezuela,” according to the BBCand added that “in a democracy no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country.”