- In his first interview since exile, the former candidate spoke about his meeting with Jorge and Delcy Rodríguez at the Spanish Embassy
Opposition leader Edmundo González plans to tour Europe to discuss the situation in Venezuela with the region’s top leaders and to gather support for the democratic cause. He said this in an interview published by the news agency Reuters on September 20, the first he has granted to the media since his exile in Spain at the beginning of the month.
He said that in recent days he has received invitations from political figures in Germany and the Netherlands, as well as from the European Commission, although he did not confirm which destinations would be the first on his agenda. Instead, he thanked the resolutions taken by the Senate of Spain and the European Parliament to recognize him as the elected president of Venezuela, a position that is also shared by other governments such as Ecuador, Panama and more recently Costa Rica.
He indicated that since his arrival in Madrid on September 8, he has met with important figures in Spanish politics such as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Minister of Foreign AffairsJosé Manuel Albares. Also with the parliamentarian and leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóoas well as former presidents Felipe González, Mariano Rajoy and José María Aznar.
At the embassy
During the interview, González referred again to his meeting with the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, and the executive vice president Delcy Rodríguez. He indicated that they arrived at the Spanish Embassy, where González went after receiving an offer of political asylum, and presented him with the draft of the document forcing him to recognize the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ruling on the election results. They told him that he had to sign it in order to be able to leave the country and guarantee the safety of his family.
“That text went back and forth. We made some observations, they returned with others. In short, it was almost 48 very tense hours. That is why I speak of coercion, because it was not a situation in which you freely signed a document,” he said.
Although the meetings lasted several hours, he denied that they lasted until dawn or during his free time. He also clarified that the Spanish ambassador Ramón Santos lent the space of his residence for the negotiations, but did not participate in them. He said he does not know who took the photos that were later shown without his consent by Jorge Rodríguez.
“I had already said that I would accept the decision, even though I did not agree with it. I made my disagreement very clear, and I accept it because I had no other option,” he said.
The opposition leader confirmed rumors that former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was the “architector” of the meeting with the pro-government officials. “He has been behind several actions to free political prisoners. On this occasion, I understand that he was very involved,” he added.
For safety reasons
Before going to the residence of the Spanish ambassador, González spent 32 days holed up in the Embassy of the Netherlands, due to the threats he received in the last days of the electoral campaign. He said that on one occasion, a member of his security team warned him that he had received information from state agencies that they were going to arrest him, so they should leave.
“That was when I made the decision to go and seek protection at the Dutch Embassy,” he said. González admitted that opposition leader María Corina Machado did not know about his asylum, and that she had told him only the day before he left for the Spanish Embassy.
A report published by the portal The Great Village He said that González was in the diplomatic headquarters without the government of Nicolás Maduro knowing about it until September, when he had to leave due to the change of personnel. He said that he had no intention of leaving the country until his meeting with the Rodríguez brothers, when he weighed the risks to his security if he stayed. However, González told reporters that he had no intention of leaving the country until his meeting with the Rodríguez brothers, when he weighed the risks to his security if he stayed. Reuters who preferred to leave the country to have greater freedom of movement and action.
“I could have gone into hiding, but I had to be free to be able to do what I am doing: to transmit to the world what is happening in Venezuela, making contacts with world leaders,” he said.
Political prisoners
Among the guarantees that González asked for in order to agree to leave Venezuela was a commitment from the Venezuelan State not to attack his daughter Mariana, who still lives in Caracas with her two children. The government also promised not to seize or attack the house that the former candidate left.
One point that González said he advocated for during the meetings was the release of political prisoners, which according to Foro Penal, is around 1,834 detainees, 60 of them minors. Although he did not specify whether the government accepted his proposal, he indicated that he will continue to demand their freedom in all possible international instances.
Regarding the situation of the six opposition activists who have taken refuge in the Argentine Embassy, currently in Brazilian custody, he said that he does not believe it is likely that the Maduro government will invade the embassy to arrest them in the short term. However, he did not hide his concern that, sooner or later, the siege that the security forces are maintaining against the diplomatic headquarters will take effect.
When asked about the efforts of the presidents of Colombia and Brazil, Gustavo Petro and Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, to negotiate with Nicolás Maduro, the former candidate welcomed their initiative. He said that in the coming days both leaders will meet again with Maduro, despite the fact that the last attempt at conversation in early September never materialized due to the absence of the Venezuelan.
“Both are making an effort in the form of international mediation to convince Nicolás Maduro to accept that there has been a change and to respect the popular will. That is an effort that they continue to make and I understand that they will continue along those lines,” González said.
On the other hand, he asserted that Spain plays an important role in Latin America and the world, and that it must therefore support the Venezuelan people in their struggle to ensure that the results of the July 28 elections are respected. He downplayed the fact that Pedro Sánchez’s government has not yet complied with the motion of Congress to recognize him as president, and clarified that the main political actors in that country are in favor of his cause.
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2024-09-21 03:56:37
