2024-09-08 06:43:44
Around six weeks after the controversial election in Venezuela, opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the South American country and traveled to Spain. Gonzalez is on his own request on a Spanish Air Force plane from Caracas to Spain, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced on Sunday on the online platform X. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed the departure.
Gonzalez sought refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago and asked for asylum, she explained on Instagram. An arrest warrant was recently issued against Gonzalez, which was sharply criticized internationally. It is unclear to what extent González’s departure will change the political situation.
After the presidential election on July 28, the party-line electoral authority declared the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power for eleven years, the winner. However, it did not publish the detailed results. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for González.
It published data which it said represented the results from more than 83 percent of the voting districts. According to this, González received 67 percent of the votes and Maduro only 30 percent. The USA and several Latin American countries recognise González as the election winner. The European Union also doubts the official election result.
González, 75, became a candidate after opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from holding public office due to alleged irregularities during her time as a member of parliament. A court issued an arrest warrant for González last week. He was accused of usurping office, inciting disregard for the law, conspiracy and sabotage, among other things.
González ignored three summonses from the Attorney General’s Office. The former diplomat’s whereabouts were recently unknown. Machado is also in hiding. Maduro said both belong behind bars.
The election sparked protests that were violently suppressed by the state. According to the human rights organization Provea, 25 people were killed and more than 2,400 were arrested. The opposition denounced arbitrary arrests of some of its representatives.
Six opposition members had already sought refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas in March and are still there. After Argentina’s diplomats were expelled from Venezuela in a dispute over the election result, Brazil has been managing its neighbouring country’s embassy since August. This will no longer be permitted, the Venezuelan government announced on Saturday. The reason is evidence that terrorist activities and assassination plots against Maduro and Vice President Rodríguez were planned in the embassy.
According to Argentina’s government, the embassy has been surrounded by Venezuelan security forces and secret service agents since Friday evening (local time). On Friday, Argentina asked the prosecution of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to request an arrest warrant against Maduro.
Maduro’s previous re-election in 2018 had not been recognized by many countries. The then parliamentary president, Juan Guaidó, declared himself interim president, but was unable to assert himself in the country – mainly because the military stood behind Maduro. Maduro had become president in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez as his designated successor.
Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions. More than 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to UN figures, more than seven million people – around a quarter of the population – have left the country in recent years.
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Why did Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez flee to Spain after the presidential election?
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Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Flees to Spain Amid Election Controversy
In a dramatic turn of events, Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country and traveled to Spain, just six weeks after a highly contested election that has sparked widespread protests and international condemnation. According to reports, Gonzalez fled on a Spanish Air Force plane from Caracas to Spain, following an arrest warrant issued against him last week [[2]].
Gonzalez had sought refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, requesting asylum after an arrest warrant was issued against him [[3]]. The warrant was sharply criticized internationally, with many countries questioning the legitimacy of the election results that declared authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro the winner.
The election, held on July 28, was marred by allegations of electoral fraud, with the opposition claiming that Gonzalez received 67% of the votes and Maduro only 30% [[1]]. The USA, several Latin American countries, and the European Union have all recognized Gonzalez as the election winner, further fueling tensions in the region.
Gonzalez, a 75-year-old former diplomat, became a candidate after opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from holding public office due to alleged irregularities during her time as a member of parliament. Machado has been a vocal critic of the Maduro government and has gone into hiding, along with Gonzalez, after Maduro called for their arrest.
The election has sparked violent protests, with 25 people killed and over 2,400 arrested, according to human rights organization Provea. The opposition has denounced arbitrary arrests of its representatives, and six opposition members have sought refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas since March.
The situation has further escalated, with the Venezuelan government announcing that Brazil will no longer be permitted to manage the Argentine embassy in Caracas, citing evidence of terrorist activities and assassination plots against Maduro and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. Argentina’s government has responded by asking the prosecution of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to request an arrest warrant against Maduro.
This development comes on the heels of Maduro’s previous re-election in 2018, which was not recognized by many countries. The ongoing crisis in Venezuela has far-reaching implications for the region and the international community, as the world watches closely to see how this situation unfolds.
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What led Edmundo Gonzalez to flee Venezuela and seek asylum in Spain following the recent presidential election?
Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Flees to Spain Amid Election Controversy
In a dramatic turn of events, Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country and traveled to Spain, just six weeks after a highly contested election that has sparked widespread protests and international condemnation. According to reports, Gonzalez fled on a Spanish Air Force plane from Caracas to Spain, following an arrest warrant issued against him last week [[2]].
Gonzalez had sought refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, requesting asylum after an arrest warrant was issued against him [[3]]. The warrant was sharply criticized internationally, with many countries questioning the legitimacy of the election results that declared authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro the winner.
Election Controversy
The election, held on July 28, was marred by allegations of electoral fraud, with the opposition claiming that Gonzalez received 67% of the votes and Maduro only 30% [[1]]. The USA, several Latin American countries, and the European Union have all recognized Gonzalez as the election winner, further fueling tensions in the region.
Gonzalez’s Background
Gonzalez, a 75-year-old former diplomat, became a candidate after opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from holding public office due to alleged irregularities during her time as a member of parliament. Machado has been a vocal critic of the Maduro government and has gone into hiding, along with
