MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – Former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia has left the country, having received asylum in Spain, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said.
«Today, September 7, opposition citizen Edmundo González Urrutia left the country, voluntarily taking refuge for several days in the embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Caracas, asking for political asylum from this government,» Rodriguez said on Telegram.
On Tuesday, the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office announced that the Venezuelan Court of First Instance had issued a warrant for the arrest of Edmundo Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate for the United Right opposition who had failed to appear three times to testify when subpoenaed. The office is investigating the publication of opposition polling station data on an online site in parallel with the official presidential election results by the electoral commission, as well as incitement to street violence.
«Venezuela has provided the necessary protective orders [to leave the country] for the sake of tranquility and political peace in the country. This confirms respect for the Law that guides the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in its actions on the international stage,» the vice president added.
The presidential election in Venezuela was held on July 28, the next day the National Electoral Council declared Nicolas Maduro the elected president for 2025-2031. He received, according to the electoral council, 51% of the votes.
The next day, protests broke out in Venezuela, clashes between the police and protesters began in Caracas, who began throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers. According to the attorney general’s office, more than 2,000 people have been detained in cases of destruction of state infrastructure, incitement of hatred and terrorism.
