Venezuela opposition says Edmundo Gonzalez will remain 'clear voice' in exile

11/9/2024 6:30

        Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez will remain a "very clear voice" pushing for change in his country despite fleeing to seek asylum in Spain, exiled opposition members Antonio Ledezma and Leopoldo Lopez told Reuters on Tuesday.
        
        With widespread international backing for his victory in the July 28 election that incumbent Nicolas Maduro says he won, Gonzalez could also still return to take office on Jan. 10, they said.
        
        Ledezma, a longtime Venezuelan opposition leader and former mayor of the capital Caracas's metropolis, said Gonzalez's flight from the country would strengthen the cause.
        
        "Edmundo will be free, he will not be confined within four walls, as in Venezuela, and he will be able to lead the struggle for Venezuela's freedom by heading the diaspora," Ledezma told Reuters.
        
        Venezuelan exiles gathered outside the Spanish parliament on Tuesday as Spanish lawmakers debated a symbolic motion from the main opposition party to recognise Gonzalez as winner of the elections. The motion is expected to be approved on Wednesday.