Venezuela's opposition leader flees to Spain and promises to “continue the fight”

Gonzalez Urrutia has arrived in Madrid after weeks in hiding in the crisis-hit South American country. The opposition claims it can prove he won the July 28 elections, which saw Maduro claim a victory that is widely disputed.

Shortly after landing in a military aircraft, the 75-year-old's press team released an audio message in which he expressed his “confidence that we will soon continue the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”

The decision to withdraw Gonzalez Urrutia was made because “his life was in danger,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had previously explained on X, referring to a “brutal wave of repression” in the aftermath of the election.

Gonzalez Urrutia was put on the ballot at the last minute for Machado after institutions loyal to Maduro prevented her from running because observers accused them of human rights violations.

Venezuela's pro-regime electoral authority CNE declared Maduro the winner of the election, but the opposition cried foul and much of the international community refused to accept the result without seeing a detailed vote distribution, which is not yet available.

Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez Urrutia, who Maduro says should be behind bars with Machado. She remains in hiding but has led some protests against Maduro since the disputed vote.

Gonzalez Urrutia left Venezuela on Sunday after ignoring three consecutive summonses to appear before the prosecutor's office, arguing that doing so would put his freedom at risk.

Machado told X: “The increasing threats, summons, arrest warrants and even attempts at blackmail and coercion against (Gonzalez Urrutia) show that the regime knows no scruples or limits in its obsession with silencing and overthrowing him.”

She added: “In the face of this brutal reality, it is necessary for our cause to protect his freedom, his integrity and his life.”

– 'A Hero' –

Madrid said it would grant the retired diplomat asylum.

According to a statement by the Spanish Foreign Ministry, he and his wife arrived at the Torrejón air base near Madrid on board a Spanish military aircraft at around 4 p.m. local time (2 p.m. GMT).

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

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told radio station Onda Cero that Madrid would grant Urrutia asylum because “there have been no political negotiations between the Spanish and Venezuelan governments, that is, there has been no compensation for Edmundo González to leave the country.”

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on social media that Caracas had agreed to the safe passage of Gonzalez Urrutia, who “voluntarily sought refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago.”

Attorney General Tarek William Saab later told reporters that González Urrutia's resignation marked the conclusion of a “great play with the fateful name 'Until the end,'” in reference to the opposition's post-election slogan.

He did not say whether the investigations against the opposition politician had since been discontinued.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Gonzalez Urrutia “remains the best hope for democracy” in Venezuela, adding that his resignation was “the direct result of the anti-democratic measures taken by Nicolás Maduro”.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on the Venezuelan authorities to “end the repression, arbitrary arrests and harassment of members of the opposition and civil society and to release all political prisoners.”

– Controversial election results –

Saab had launched an investigation into Gonzalez Urrutia for criminal offenses related to his claim that he was the legitimate winner of the July election.

The charges include abuse of office, forgery, incitement to disobedience, sabotage and connection to organized crime.

He faces a prison sentence of 30 years.

The reason for the allegations is the opposition's decision to publish the count of votes cast in polling stations. According to this, around two thirds of the votes went to González Urrutia.

The Venezuelan electoral authority said it could not provide a breakdown of the election results and blamed a cyberattack on its systems.

According to observers, there is no evidence of such hacker attacks.

Post-election violence in Venezuela left 27 people dead and 192 injured. The government says it has arrested around 2,400 people.

Even after the last elections in Venezuela in 2018, Maduro declared victory despite numerous allegations of fraud. With the support of the military and other institutions, he managed to stay in power despite international sanctions.

Maduro has ruled the oil-rich but cash-poor country since 2013.

During his term in office, GDP fell by 80 percent within a decade, forcing more than seven million of the country's 30 million citizens to flee.