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“Either I signed it or I would face the consequences,” González Urrutia said of the document that two leaders close to Maduro brought to the Spanish embassy.
Edmundo González Urrutia , a rival of President Nicolás Maduro in the Venezuelan presidential election, said on Wednesday that he had signed a document under “coercion” to “comply” with the court ruling that validated the re-election of the leftist leader and thus be able to go into exile in Spain.
González published a clarifying message after the letter was published, signed by the 75-year-old opposition leader and the president of Parliament, the powerful Chavista leader Jorge Rodríguez, who showed it at a press conference in Caracas.
“I have always been and will continue to be willing to recognize and abide by the decisions taken by the organs of justice within the framework of the Constitution, including the aforementioned ruling of the Electoral Chamber (of the Supreme Court of Justice ), which although I do not agree with, I abide by because it is a resolution of the highest court of the Republic,” according to the text, which contained a commitment “to confidentiality” by the parties.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro for a third consecutive six-year term, until 2031, which was later validated by the TSJ. Both institutions are accused of serving the leftist ruler.
“The regime wants all Venezuelans to lose hope,” said Gonzalez, who has denounced fraud and claimed victory on July 28, in a video released after the letter was published. “The whole world knows that they always resort to dirty tricks, blackmail and manipulation.”
González Urrutia indicated that a “document produced under duress is vitiated by absolute nullity, due to a serious defect in consent.”
“I considered that I could be more useful free than locked up and unable to carry out the tasks entrusted to me by the sovereign,” he continued.
The opposition leader spent a month in hiding before requesting asylum in Spain, following an arrest warrant issued against him.
He arrived in Madrid on Sunday, September 8.
“He looked for us”
Rodríguez showed photographs of the signing at the residence of the Spanish ambassador, where he and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez attended. He also released a video of González Urrutia’s departure on a Spanish Air Force plane on September 7.
“He sought us out,” said Rodriguez. “There was no kind of measure here (…), no kind of situation in which Mr. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia could feel violated. On the contrary, he sought us out to talk.”
“In no way was it marked by coercion or pressure,” insisted Rodríguez, who gave González Urrutia 24 hours to retract his statement or he will reveal recordings of the negotiations.
According to the letter, also signed by an unidentified witness, Gonzalez then expressed his intention to leave Venezuela “in order to consolidate peace and political dialogue” and committed to “limited” public activity.
“In order to contribute to achieving that climate of coexistence and tranquility that we all long for, I will exercise due prudence, moderation and respect in my actions in the public sphere,” the text states. “I do not intend in any case to exercise any formal or informal representation of the public powers.”
After his arrival in Spain, the opposition leader said he would continue “the fight” for the “recovery of democracy in Venezuela,” although he later moderated his tone and called for dialogue.
The opposition’s lawyer, José Vicente Haro, said 10 days ago on CNN that González “has not signed any document in which he acknowledges the election results.”
The Spanish Senate earlier on Wednesday asked the government of socialist Pedro Sánchez to recognise González Urrutia as the winner of the elections. The Congress of Deputies did so earlier on 11 September.
