SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- After its recent departure In Spain, Edmundo González Urrutia, a Venezuelan opposition candidate forced into exile, appealed for dialogue and reiterated that only in this way will they be able to “reunite” as compatriots.
“I am incompatible with resentment. Only the politics of dialogue can make us rediscover ourselves as compatriots. Only democracy and the realization of the popular will can be the path to our future as a country and I will remain committed to this,” he wrote on his social networks on Monday.
In his statement, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Unity Roundtable said that his decision to leave his country to receive political asylum in Spain was made after thinking about his family and all Venezuelan families “in this moment of so much tension and anguish.”
“I have done this so that things change and we can build a new era for Venezuela,” said the Venezuelan opposition leader. He also announced: “I have made this decision thinking about Venezuela and that our destiny as a country cannot, should not be, a conflict of pain and suffering.”
The opposition candidate thanked the Spanish government for granting him asylum and declared that his action “is a gesture that extends a helping hand to everyone and I hope that it will be reciprocated as such.”
The text, which calls for a “policy of dialogue” and asks that the popular will be fulfilled, comes two days after his departure, on the night of Saturday, September 7, for Spain, after the government of that country granted him political asylum.
González had previously held a meeting with Spanish diplomats, as part of the negotiations that culminated in his departure from the country. These negotiations lasted for two weeks, while the regime of Nicolas Maduro intensified legal action against him.
The opposition leader Maria Corina Machado defended Gonzalez’s departure, arguing that his life was in danger due to increasing threats and persecution. Machado said Gonzalez would be sworn in as president of Venezuela on January 10, 2024, reflecting the popular will expressed in elections last July.
González’s exile unleashed a wave of reactions internationally, particularly in the United States and in various Latin American countries.
Within Venezuela, citizens have expressed their opinion on social media where González referred to his departure from Venezuela.
Although some were skeptical of the news, others supported the idea, and backed their position with the growing persecution that Maduro had unleashed against the candidate.
“I am happy that the president-elect is out of Venezuela, protected by his daughters and family. He is a 75-year-old grandfather who needs to be calm and protected from the Chavista gangsters and mobsters who are trying to kill him. Cheer up, Maria Corina! And to all those who are in Venezuela. Edmundo arrived in Spain on September 8, the day of our Virgin of the Valley, we are with God,” wrote an Internet user.
Thousands more people commented that Gonzalez will return to govern the country in January, although many were incredulous.
