On Sunday 8 September, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, deplored the decision by Edmundo González, the opposition candidate in the recent Venezuelan presidential elections, to flee Venezuela and seek political asylum in Spain because of the “political persecution” to which he was being subjected (see EUROPE 13471/4).
“In a democracy, no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country”, said Mr Borrell in a statement. According to him, Mr González, who was sheltered in Caracas by the Dutch authorities, “appears to be the winner, by a large majority, of the presidential elections” at the end of July.
In August, the Venezuelan political opposition published polling station reports stating Mr González had won more than 60% of the vote. The Venezuelan National Electoral Council, in contrast, declared the incumbent president, Nicólas Maduro, the winner. It refuses to publish the electoral documents, claiming that the data has been hacked.
Arriving in Madrid on Sunday evening on a plane chartered by the Spanish authorities, the former Venezuelan ambassador promised to continue the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy in his country. Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured that there had been no political negotiations of any kind between the Spanish and Venezuelan governments. “There was no quid pro quo for Edmundo González leaving the country”, he insisted.
The post-election crackdown in Venezuela has left 27 people dead and 192 injured, while 2,400 people have been arrested, according to AFP.
The EU High Representative reiterated his request to the Venezuelan authorities to “end repression, arbitrary arrests and harassment against members of the opposition and civil society”. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)