ReutersVenezuela’s government says opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country and sought asylum in Spain.
Mr Gonzalez has been in hiding and the government issued an arrest warrant for him after the opposition disputed the results of July’s presidential election, which the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Nicolas Maduro the winner.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez posted on social media that Gonzalez requested political asylum from the Spanish government after “voluntarily” seeking asylum at the Spanish Embassy in Caracas a few days ago.
She added that Caracas had granted him safe passage and that he had left.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Alvarez said Mr Gonzalez left the country on a Spanish air force plane at his own request.
He added that the Spanish government is committed to the political rights of all Venezuelans.
A lawyer for Gonzalez confirmed to AFP that he had left the country for Spain, but did not provide any further details.
When he left, Venezuelan security forces Surrounded Argentina’s embassy in Caracas.
Six political opponents of President Maduro have taken refuge there. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that terrorist activities were being planned internally.
Venezuela has been in the grip of a political crisis since authorities declared President Maduro the winner of the July 28 election.
The opposition claims they have evidence that Gonzalez won by a slim margin and has uploaded detailed vote counts online that show Gonzalez convincingly defeated Maduro.
Many countries, including the United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries, refused to recognize President Maduro as the winner without Caracas releasing detailed voting figures.
President Maduro’s government has detained more than 2,400 people since the election, creating what the United Nations calls a “climate of fear.”
ReutersMr Gonzalez has been in hiding since July 30, fearing arrest after leading politicians in the government issued statements saying he should be “jailed”.
The attorney general’s office, which has close ties to Maduro’s government, charged Gonzalez with “serious crimes” including conspiracy and falsification of documents.
The 75-year-old was not widely known before the main opposition coalition registered him as a candidate in March.
The opposition’s initial choice for president was the charismatic Maria Corina Machado, who won the open primaries with 93% of the vote.
But when her efforts to overturn a ban barring her from running for office were rebuffed by government-controlled authorities, the opposition was forced to find alternative candidates.
The opposition raised Mr Gonzalez’s name after another opposition candidate was also banned.
The opposition kept Mr Gonzalez in the background amid fears he too might be barred from running, while Ms Machado traveled across the country urging people to vote for him.
On election night, Mr Gonzalez appeared alongside María Corina Machado to dispute the CNE’s announcement that Mr Maduro had won with 52% of the vote.
