Edmundo González seeks asylum in Spain after challenging the re-election of Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela says opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez has left the country after a day of heightened diplomatic tensions and is seeking asylum in Spain.
“After voluntarily taking refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, [Gonzalez] “Mr. Rodríguez requested political asylum from the Spanish government,” Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said on social media, adding that Caracas had accepted his safe conduct.
Venezuela has been in crisis since authorities declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election but did not release detailed results.
The opposition protested, saying it had evidence that Gonzalez, 75, had won by a comfortable margin.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares wrote on day X that González had requested asylum and was travelling to the country on a Spanish Air Force plane.
“The Government of Spain is committed to the political rights of all Venezuelans,” he said.
Venezuela on Saturday revoked Brazil's authorization to represent Argentine interests in the country, including the management of the embassy where six opposition figures are sheltered, the Venezuelan government said. The country broke relations with Argentina immediately after the elections.
Brazil, like Colombia and Mexico, has asked the Venezuelan government to publish the full results of the vote.
Gonzalez had been in hiding for a month after prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for him over his insistence that he was the rightful winner.
At least 27 people have been killed and 192 injured in protests since the election. Maduro's government says it has detained around 2,400 people.
