Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia’s Escape from Venezuela

• Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, the official presidential candidate of the Democratic Unity Platform in Venezuela, sought asylum in Spain on September 8.
• Despite being declared the winner by the National Electoral Council, President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected.
• Exit polls placed Gonzalez with 65% support, while Maduro had only between 14% to 31% of popular support.
• Countries such as the U.S, the U.K, and Spain have not recognized Maduro’s victory.
• An arrest warrant was issued for Gonzalez, accusing him of several crimes, including conspiracy and forgery of documents.
• Gonzalez was born in 1949 in La Victoria, close to Caracas, to a family of limited means.
• He studied international relations at the Central University of Venezuela and served as Ambassador to Algeria and Argentina during the Hugo Chavez regime.
• Gonzalez became the presidential pick after two Opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado and Corina Yorisx, were barred from running due to technicalities.
• His poll plank consisted of curtailing inflation and restoring trust in government institutions and the judiciary.
• Gonzalez was not as openly critical of Maduro’s regime as other Opposition leaders and left the prospect of amnesty for political opponents open.
• Following “episodes of pressure, coercion, and threats that I wouldn’t be allowed to leave,” Gonzalez sought asylum in Spain.