"His life was in danger": María Corina Machado defends Edmundo González's decision to seek political asylum in Spain

Opposition leader María Corina Machado published a statement this Sunday on her social networks supporting the decision of Edmundo González Urrutia to request political asylum in Spain after being the communist Nicolás Maduro regime issued a warrant for his arrest.

Corina Machado said the Maduro regime unleashed “a brutal wave of repression” after the July 28 presidential elections on when the Chavistas committed election fraud.

“Starting with our historic victory on July 28, 2024, the regime unleashed a brutal wave of repression against all citizens, classified as State terrorism by the IACHR, which included all types of attacks against the elected president and their environment,” she said.

“His life was in danger, and the increasing threats, summonses, arrest warrants and even the attempts at blackmail and coercion to which he has been subjected demonstrate that the regime has no scruples or limits in its obsession with silencing him and trying to subdue him. Faced with this brutal reality, it is necessary for our cause to preserve his freedom, his integrity and his life,” she added.

A los venezolanos,

Edmundo González Urrutía, Presidente electo de Venezuela ha salido del país y se encuentra en España.

A partir de nuestra histórica victoria del 28 de julio de 2024, el régimen desató una brutal ola de represión en contra de todos los ciudadanos,…

— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) September 8, 2024

According to the pro-democracy opposition, the operations of the regime and its allies “are further evidence of their criminal nature, which delegitimizes and sinks them more and more every day. But, once again, they were wrong. His attempted coup d'état against Popular Sovereignty is not going to materialize,” she vowed.

Finally, Machado noted that, “on January 10, 2025, President-Elect Edmundo González Urrutia will be sworn in as Constitutional President of Venezuela and Commander in Chief of the National Armed Forces. Let this be very clear to everyone: Edmundo will fight from outside alongside our diaspora and I will continue doing so here, alongside you. Serenity, courage and firmness! Venezuelans, this fight is UNTIL THE END and the victory is ours.”

González Urrutia left Venezuela this Saturday bound for Spain, where he requested and was granted political asylum in the Spanish motherland.

The surprising departure of González, considered by the Venezuelan opposition and several international governments as the legitimate winner of the presidential elections on July 28, was announced by Chavista Vice president Delcy Rodríguez.

“Venezuela has granted the necessary safe conduct in the interest of tranquility and political peace in the country,” reads a statement published by Rodríguez on his Instagram account.

González's departure occurs five days after the Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office asked a court specialized in “terrorism” crimes to issue an “arrest order” against him.