Opponents in Madrid analyze the effects of Edmundo González’s departure

Venezuelan opposition members exiled in Spain met in Madrid on Sunday morning to analyze the consequences of the departure of the presidential candidate from Venezuela Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutiawhich is expected to arrive in the Spanish capital during the day.

Opposition sources told EFE that the aim is to unify opinions and positions on the issue.

Other members of the Venezuelan exile community opted for caution while waiting for the statements of opposition leader María Corina Machado in Venezuela and González Urrutia himself.

The director of the newspaper The National From Venezuela, Miguel Henrique Otero, also exiled in Madrid, said that the fact that he has left the country for Spain, where he has requested asylum, is “an achievement” for the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

“It is a success for them (the Chavistas) that Corina (Machado) is left alone” in Venezuela, he said in statements to Canal 24 horas on Spanish Television.

“I imagine the pressure on (Gonzalez Urrutia) was enormous,” he said.

Opponents in Madrid speak about the situation in Venezuela

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albaresreported this Sunday that Spain will grant Edmundo González, a candidate in last July’s elections, the asylum he has requested.

González Urrutia, who has spent some time in hiding at the Spanish embassy in Caracas, has an arrest warrant issued by the Venezuelan justice system after failing to appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating him for publishing voting records on the Internet that would give him victory in those elections, contrary to the official result confirmed by the Supreme Court, which gives victory to the Chavista president, Nicolás Maduro.