Maduro rival flees Venezuela for exile in Spain

Former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González fled as part of a negotiated deal with Nicolás Maduro’s government

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia faced "increasing threats, summons, arrest warrants" from President Nicolás Maduro's regime
(Image credit: Pedro Rances Mattey / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, who credibly claims to have won his country's July 28 presidential election, arrived in Spain on Sunday, seeking asylum. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said González, a 75-year-old former diplomat who replaced her on the ballot after she was barred from running, fled Venezuela because "his life was in danger" and he faced "increasing threats, summons, arrest warrants" from President Nicolás Maduro's unscrupulous regime.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.