Edmundo González on his exile in Spain: I did it so that we can build a new stage for Venezuela

Opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia said on Monday that he took the decision to leave the country and go into exile in Spain with the aim to change things and build a new stage for Venezuela.

In a statement released through his profile on the X network, González Urrutia added that The decision to leave Venezuela was made because the fate of Venezuelans “cannot, should not be, a conflict of pain and suffering.”

“I did it thinking of my family and all Venezuelan families in these times of so much tension and anguish. I did it so that things change and we can build a new era for Venezuela,” said the Venezuelan opposition leader.

In his statement, González Urrutia calls for a policy of dialogue and believes that “only democracy and the realization of the popular will can be the path to our future as a country,” something to which he will remain committed.

Right now, He said that the freedom of political prisoners is his top priority and an unwavering demand.

Official announcement to national and international public opinion: pic.twitter.com/TTPUQciV0Q

— Edmundo González (@EdmundoGU) September 9, 2024

Edmundo González arrives in Spain after requesting political asylum

The opposition leader arrived in Madrid on Sunday after requesting asylum, considering that he was suffering political and judicial persecution in Venezuela following 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).

In his statement, González Urrutia deeply thanks the Spanish government for having welcomed and protected him, as well as the Embassy of the Netherlands in Venezuela, where he had been sheltered for weeks.