Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia

Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia—who insists he, not strongman Nicolas Maduro, is Venezuela's legitimate president-elect—fled to Spain on Sunday, vowing to "continue the fight" for freedom and democracy.

The Venezuelan government said Saturday opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who disputed President Nicolas Maduro's July 28 reelection, has left the country to seek asylum in Spain.

Gonzalez Urrutia had been in hiding for a month, ignoring three successive summons to appear before prosecutors, saying attending the hearing could have cost his freedom.

AFP FILE- Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate for the Plataforma Unitaria Democratica party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, poses for a picture during an event with the Voluntad Popular opposition party in Caracas on May 23, 2024

Venezuelan opposition supporters gathered in Caracas on Wednesday, chanting "Liberty!" as their leader came out of hiding to lead a protest against President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, widely denounced as fraudulent.

The EU said it is "extremely concerned" about the deepening political crisis in Venezuela, where the results of the presidential election last month have been rejected by the opposition, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.

Venezuela's opposition, claiming victory in presidential elections they say were stolen by strongman Nicolas Maduro, gathered in the thousands in Caracas and elsewhere on Saturday, vowing to fight "to the end."

The presidents of Brazil and Colombia called on Thursday for fresh elections in Venezuela after last month's disputed victory by Nicolás Maduro — a proposal quickly rejected by the opposition, who slammed the strongman for blocking a "political transition."

Ankara will continue to support the dialogue process in Venezuela, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday.


In a phone call with Maduro, Erdoğan wished that the elections may "lead to auspicious results for Venezuela," according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.


Venezuela's opposition leader emerged from hiding on Aug. 3, declaring "We have never been so strong," as President Nicolas Maduro slammed what he called attempts to "usurp the presidency" following the disputed July 28 election.

Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called Thursday for protests "in every city" in the nation on Saturday to denounce the disputed reelection of President Nicolas Maduro.