Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who lives in exile in Spain, called on Friday for “explicit” recognition of his victory in the 2024 presidential election. Nicolás Maduro was officially declared the winner of the mentioned elections, who was kidnapped by members of the American elite units from Venezuela to the USA at the beginning of January, where he will face several charges, including drug trafficking.
Venezuela’s opposition, which has released reports from polling stations – which the government in Caracas says is falsified – says Urrutia is the legitimate winner of the presidential election. On Friday, in a telephone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Urrutia emphasized that “the restoration of democracy in Venezuela is conditional on the explicit recognition of the results of the elections of July 28, 2024.”
In September 2024, when Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, Urrutia fled his homeland and found refuge in Madrid. In a statement to the media on Thursday in Madrid, he also welcomed the release of political prisoners in Venezuela, including former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez. Among those released are also foreigners, including several Spaniards.
As reported by the El País news website, four The freed Spaniards and a prominent Venezuelan human rights activist arrived in Madrid on Friday to meet their friends and family, which was also confirmed by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
Albares also reported that on Friday he had a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which they discussed Venezuela and the position of Spanish companies, such as petrochemical concern Repsol.
As part of efforts to normalize relations between the US and Venezuela a delegation of American diplomats arrived in Caracas on Friday, tasked with assessing the reopening of the American embassy in Venezuela, closed since 2019.
In addition, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with executives from major oil companies on Friday. to try to win their support for his strategy for Venezuela.
