US-Backed Former Presidential Candidate Edmundo González Flees Venezuela

Mexico City, Mexico, September 9, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González fled Venezuela and arrived in Spain on Sunday.

News of 75-year-old González’s self-imposed exile first came from Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez who confirmed that the opposition figure had first taken refuge in Spain’s Embassy in Caracas before being granted safe passage by the government in order to exit the country.

“Once the relevant contacts between both governments had taken place, the essentials of the case were met and in compliance with international law, Venezuela granted the necessary safe passage for the sake of tranquility and political peace in the country,” wrote Rodríguez on social media.

Spanish officials, however, denied any coordination with Venezuelan authorities. In a statement, the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry said González arrived at the Torrejón de Ardoz air base in Madrid, on board a Spanish Air Force plane, accompanied by his wife and Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs Diego Martínez Belío.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said González had contacted him personally and that the former presidential hopeful had chosen his country because “Spain has always demonstrated its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.”

Former Spanish Vice President and political commentator Pablo Iglesias nonetheless questioned why González chose Spain over nearby Argentina whose president has been a vocal critic of the Nicolás Maduro government. Spain is also host to several Venezuelan opposition figures, including far-right politician Leopoldo López who escaped from house arrest in 2019.

González was a last-minute addition to the July 28 presidential ballot as a stand-in for US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running after the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) upheld a ban from political office. 

On Sunday, Machado claimed that González was forced to flee Venezuela in order to “preserve his freedom, integrity, and life.”

According to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, however, González was granted refuge in the official diplomatic residency of The Netherlands in Caracas weeks earlier and in early September declared his intention to leave the residency in order to eventually move to Spain.

The Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office issued an arrest warrant for González last week, on a series of charges including usurpation of functions, public document forgery, conspiracy, sabotage and association to commit crimes, over his role in promoting the opposition’s claims that he was the winner of the July 28 presidential elections.

Venezuela’s electoral authority declared Maduro the winner of the election, but the hardline opposition rejected the results and set up a parallel website with purported electoral tallies that had González winning the contest by a huge margin. The country’s top court later ratified Maduro’s victory to secure a third term.

In a press conference Monday, ranking Chavista and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said González chose exile because he knew he did not win the election and was worried about his hardline anti-government allies.

Upon arriving in Spain, González stated that the “fight to achieve our freedom and the restoration of Venezuela’s democracy” would continue.

The former diplomat subsequently published a brief letter on Monday saying that he was not motivated by “personal ambition” and that his decision to go abroad was an olive branch. He also praised the work of Machado but gave no indication of a future role in the opposition coalition.

In her own letter, Machado claimed that González “will fight from the outside alongside our diaspora” and maintained that he would be sworn in as president of Venezuela on January 10, 2025, when the new term is set to begin. 

Machado ran on the slogan that she would fight “until the end” but the absence of González inside the country makes her goal of seating the former candidate in the presidency virtually impossible. News outlets reported that the news of González’s departure left supporters feeling dejected and without hope.

With the blessing of the United States, the leaders of Brazil, Colombia, and sometimes Mexico had attempted to mediate the political dispute, though this role has not been formally recognized by Venezuela. A planned phone call between the leaders of the three countries together with Maduro has yet to materialize. 

In response to González’s self-imposed exile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said despite his exit from the country, he still represented “the best hope for democracy.”

Meanwhile, Venezuela suspended the agreement that allowed Brazil to assume custody of the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas where six Machado associates had sought asylum fleeing charges. Security forces surrounded the building for hours on Saturday before demobilizing, with Venezuelan authorities claiming that the embassy facilities were being used to plan terrorist activities.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.