Venezuelan opposition leader requests asylum in Spain

By L'Osservatore Romano

Nicolás Maduro has stated that he "respects" the decision to leave Venezuela made by the opposition candidate in the last presidential elections, Edmundo González Urrutia.

He made this statement during his weekly program, where he mentioned that he had "clashed harshly" with the former ambassador but closely followed the efforts that enabled his transfer to Spain, where he has requested political asylum.

Edmundo González Urrutia, who claimed victory in the July 28 presidential elections, officially won by Maduro, arrived in Madrid on Sunday along with his wife.

In Venezuela, an arrest warrant has been issued against him, accusing him of "conspiracy," among other things. He will continue his efforts "from abroad," assured opposition leader María Corina Machado, while emphasizing her intention to "remain in Venezuela."

In a message on her social media channels, Machado—who was unable to run in the presidential elections due to being banned from public office for the next fifteen years—has called for a rally in Madrid of "Venezuelans living in Spain today" to "continue advancing until the whole world recognizes Edmundo González Urrutia as the elected president" of Venezuela.

The mobilization coincides with the parliamentary examination of the initiative presented by the Spanish Popular Party, which is pushing the socialists to recognize González Urrutia's victory in the July 28 elections. The motion also calls for an end to the repression of protests in Venezuela and the release of political prisoners.

Meanwhile, from The Hague, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) assured that it "will not delay" its efforts "to establish accountability" in Venezuela.

Caracas has been under investigation since November 2021 for crimes against humanity committed since 2014. The office of the Chief Prosecutor of the body, Karim Khan, also urged the authorities of the Latin American country to "respect the rule of law."