“My departure from Caracas was surrounded by pressure”: Edmundo González upon his arrival in Spain

The standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in Venezuela, Edmundo González Urrutia, said this Sunday that his departure from Venezuela, bound for Spain after requesting asylum and granting safe conduct by the government of Nicolás Maduro, “was surrounded by episodes of pressure, coercion and threats.”

He referred to his departure from Venezuela

“My departure from Caracas was surrounded by episodes, pressures, coercion and threats of not allowing my departure”he said through a WhatsApp audio that his coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), released to the media.

In the message, González Urrutia added that he will continue “the fight to achieve freedom and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela,” while expressing his “gratitude” for “the expressions of solidarity” after his departure from the country.

Edmundo’s statement is shared by his main supporter, opposition leader María Corina Machado, who said today that she will continue fighting from Venezuela while the PUD candidate will do so “from outside.”

Maria Corina regrets the departure of Edmundo Gonzalez

“Let this be very clear to everyone: Edmundo will fight from outside alongside our diaspora and I will continue to do so here, alongside you,” Machado said through X.

For its part, the PUD said that the asylum given to its leader “confirms the serious situation of state terrorism” to which – it maintained – those who “defend the popular will” would be “subjected.”

The reason why he left his country: “my departure was surrounded by pressure”

The anti-Chavez activist requested asylum, considering that he was suffering political and judicial persecution in Venezuela after the presidential elections of July 28, whose official victory was awarded by the National Electoral Council (CNE) to Nicolás Maduro, a result later validated by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).

However, the opposition insists that the winner was González Urrutia, a claim that it supported with the “83.5%” of the electoral records that it claims to have collected from witnesses and members of the table on the day of the vote, which -he said- give victory to the anti-Chavez by a wide margin.

As a result of this publication and the report of fraud, González Urrutia was accused of “allegedly committing” “usurpation of functions” and “forging public documents”, among other crimes, for which he was summoned three times by the Prosecutor’s Office.

When he did not appear, a court issued an arrest warrant against the opposition leader, who had been held in custody for more than a month until September 5 at the Dutch Embassy, ​​from where he moved to the Spanish Embassy, ​​where he remained until this Saturday, when he left Venezuela.

The government announced on Saturday that it had granted the opposition leader safe passage “for the sake of political peace and tranquility.”