Venezuela’s President González promises to “continue to fight for democracy”

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González has vowed he will “continue to fight for democracy in his own country” after being granted asylum in Spain.

Mr González left Venezuela on Saturday after spending weeks in hiding in the Spanish embassy in Caracas. He arrived with his wife at Madrid's Torrejón de Ardoz military airport at around 4pm local time (2pm GMT).

The 75-year-old's departure from the country was a result of the unrest that followed the July 28 elections in which President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory – a claim that was disputed by Mr González and much of the international community.

In an audio message released by his press team, he said he was “confident that we will soon continue the struggle for freedom and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

Before his departure, an arrest warrant had been issued against him in Venezuela. The government accused him of conspiracy and forgery, among other “serious crimes”.

Mr González thanked his supporters for their expressions of solidarity and confirmed his arrival in Spain. He said: “My departure from Caracas was accompanied by periods of pressure, coercion and threats that I would not be allowed to leave.”

Earlier, the country's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, wrote on social media that he had decided to leave the country because “his life was in danger,” citing a “brutal wave of repression” in the aftermath of the elections.

Ms Machado, a popular candidate in the country, was expected to run against Maduro, but institutions loyal to the president prevented her from doing so at the last minute.

The opposition claimed it had evidence that González had won by a comfortable margin and uploaded detailed voting results online suggesting that González had convincingly defeated Maduro.

The US, the EU and the majority of foreign governments refused to recognize Maduro as the winner without Caracas publishing detailed election results to confirm the outcome.

In a statement on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Mr Gonzalez’s departure from Venezuela was “the direct result of the anti-democratic measures imposed by Nicolás Maduro against the Venezuelan people, including [Edmundo] González Urrutia and other opposition leaders since the election.”

He added: “The election results and the will of the people cannot be brushed aside by Maduro and the Venezuelan electoral authorities. We stand with González Urrutia in his call to continue the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

Earlier, European Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell said on Sunday: “Today is a sad day for democracy in Venezuela.” He added: “In a democracy, no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country.”

He said Venezuela must end the repression of opposition leaders and release all political prisoners.

At a Socialist Party meeting on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez González described him as “a hero whom Spain will not abandon.”

The country's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said Madrid would grant Mr González asylum because it was “committed to the political rights” of all Venezuelans.

Mr González's departure came as security forces in Venezuela surrounded the Argentine embassy in the capital, Caracas, where six opposition leaders had sought refuge.

The country's Foreign Ministry claimed that terrorist attacks were being planned domestically.