Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the South American country after seeking asylum in Spain, according to the Spanish foreign minister.
“Edmundo Gonzalez flew to Spain on a Spanish air force plane at his own request,” Jose Manuel Alvarez said in an online statement, adding that “the Spanish government is committed to protecting the political rights and physical security of all Venezuelan citizens.”
Venezuela's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, also said Gonzalez had left the country.
Gonzalez, who clashed with President Nicolas Maduro in July, had left the country after “taking voluntary refuge a few days ago in the Spanish Embassy in Caracas,” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram.
He said the Maduro government, which ordered the candidate's arrest, had decided to allow González safe passage out of the country in order to contribute to political peace in the country.
Neither Gonzalez nor Venezuela's opposition have yet to comment.
Reuters and Associated Press
