Brazil Venezuela expels opposition leader - asylum in Spain

Opposition leader Edmundo González, who is under arrest warrant in Venezuela, is flying to Spain to apply for political asylum. Around six weeks after the presidential election, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, the 75-year-old, who had previously been in hiding for days, boarded a Spanish air force plane in Caracas in the middle of the night. The plane was due to land in Madrid later that afternoon. Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that González would "naturally" be granted asylum.

After the presidential election on July 28, the election authority, which is loyal to the party, declared Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian head of state who has been in power for eleven years, the winner. However, it did not publish a breakdown of the results. The opposition is speaking of electoral fraud and is claiming victory for González, against whom an arrest warrant was issued last week for sabotage, conspiracy, usurpation of office and incitement to contempt, among other things. The USA, the EU and numerous Latin American countries are also questioning the result.

"Sad day for democracy in Venezuela"

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell spoke of a "sad day for democracy in Venezuela". "In the face of repression, political persecution and direct threats to his security and freedom", González was forced to leave the country and apply for asylum in Spain. He appears to have won the election "by a large majority".

The departure was agreed by Madrid and Caracas. Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez wrote on Instagram that there had been contact between the two governments and that González had ultimately been granted safe passage in the interests of political peace. The former long-time diplomat had been in Spain's embassy in Caracas for days. According to Borrell, however, he was (also) in the Dutch embassy.

What now?

The forced departure could lead to an escalation of the tense situation in Venezuela. However, it can be assumed that González will probably play a lesser role in Madrid. Before his candidacy, he was considered more of a "gray mouse" in Caracas anyway. In exile, much more colorful figures, including the former self-proclaimed "interim president" Juan Guaidó, who currently lives in Miami, were quickly forgotten.

Meanwhile, in Madrid, González will meet his daughter Carolina, who has lived and worked there for years. Two high-ranking Venezuelan opposition leaders are also living in exile in Spain's capital, ex-Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma and Leopoldo López.

The most important opposition figure, María Corina Machado, is still in hiding in Venezuela. The 56-year-old was banned from running for office due to alleged irregularities from her time as a member of parliament. Maduro said she should be behind bars.

Spain wants to mediate

Spain's left-wing government, which also doubts Maduro's victory, will advocate dialog and negotiations between the government and the opposition in Caracas "in order to achieve a peaceful solution for Venezuelans", said Albares.

According to the opposition, González received 67 percent of the vote in the election, while Maduro only received 30 percent. Protests broke out during the election, which were violently suppressed by the authorities. According to the human rights organization Provea, 25 people lost their lives and more than 2,400 were arrested. The opposition complained of numerous arbitrary arrests.

Venezuela bans Brazil from representing Argentina

Six members of the opposition had already sought refuge in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas in March and are still there. Following the expulsion of Argentina's diplomats in the dispute over the election results, Brazil has been administering the embassy of its neighboring country since August. This will no longer be permitted, Venezuela's government announced on Saturday. The reason for this were indications that terrorist activities and murder plots against Maduro and Vice President Rodríguez had been planned at the embassy.

According to Argentina's government, the embassy has been surrounded by security forces and secret service agents since Friday. Argentina had previously asked the prosecuting authority of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to apply for an arrest warrant against Maduro.

Some countries do not recognize Maduro's victory

Maduro's re-election in 2018 had already not been recognized by many countries. The then parliamentary president Guaidó declared himself interim president, but was unable to assert himself in the country, partly because the military backed Maduro. The latter had taken power as Hugo Chávez's successor in 2013 following his death. Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and sanctions. More than 80 percent live below the poverty line. According to UN figures, a good seven million people - around a quarter of the population - have left the country in recent years.

SDA