Venezuela’s vice president has accused the Spanish government of lying over a deal to grant asylum to opposition leader Edmundo González. Spanish ministers have insisted there was no special deal with the Venezuelan government to allow González to seek asylum in Madrid.
González arrived in Spain on Sunday, seeking political asylum in the wake of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election. Hard-left dictator Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won re-election, but opposition leaders published vote tallies showing González had defeated Maduro by a landslide.
Following weeks of unrest across the country, González sought asylum in the Spanish embassy in Carácas. On Saturday, he left Venezuela on a Spanish Air Force plane.
In an interview with broadcaster RTVE, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares claimed there had not been “any kind of political negotiation between Spain and Venezuela” and that “it is Edmundo González who has requested asylum.” Spanish officials do not deny that there had been logistical negotiations, but continue to deny that González’s arrival in Spain was the result of diplomatic discussions between the Sánchez government and Maduro.
However, on Monday morning, Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, contradicted Albares by claiming there had been “extensive conversations and contacts” to guarantee González’s departure.
“Falsehood is not a good advisor. Extensive conversations and contacts took place to operationalize the departure of opposition candidate González Urrutia from the country with the full guarantees offered by a safe passage, a product of the agreement between both governments. The landing of an aircraft of the Spanish Air Force with the authorization of the Venezuelan aeronautical authorities is a communicative fact,” said Rodríguez on her Telegram channel.
Spanish ministers also appear to be trying to play both sides in the dispute. Despite González’s arrival, the Spanish government refused to declare him the legitimate winner of the Venezuelan election. Albares told RTVE the “common position” in the European Union is “that we are not going to recognise the victory of Edmundo González.” However “this does not detract from our commitment to Edmundo González.”
Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced particular criticism for appearing to ignore the plight of the Venezuelan opposition. It was not until this past Saturday, the same day that González fled Venezuela, that Sánchez mentioned the Venezuelan opposition leader for the first time. In a speech to his party’s Federal Committee, he briefly mentioned that González was a “hero whom Spain will not abandon” before changing the subject.
Spain’s opposition parties have been much more forthright in their support of González and condemnation of the Maduro regime.
At the end of August, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the centre-right Partido Popular, said “Edmundo González won on 28 July. The international community must recognise him as president-elect. The democrats of the world are with freedom. Sánchez’s silence is dishonourable for Spain.” On Friday, Santiago Abascal, leader of the right-wing VOX party, strongly criticised the Spanish government for its “ambiguity” in refusing to recognise González as the “legitimate president” of Venezuela.
