• Venezuelan opposition leader claims he was forced to accept Maduro’s election win
• González has now been granted asylum in Spain
• Claims he was forced to sign have been refuted

Venezuelan opposition leader claims he was forced to accept Maduro’s election win 

Edmundo González, an opposition candidate in Venezuela, has stated that he was “forced” to acknowledge President Nicolás Maduro’s controversial victory in the July election before being granted asylum in Spain.

In a video message from Madrid, González claimed that Maduro’s aides coerced him into signing a letter while he was hiding in the Spanish embassy in Caracas earlier this month. He said he was given an ultimatum: sign the document or face severe consequences.

“There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail and pressure.

“At that point I considered I could be of more use free than if I were imprisoned,” González said, describing the signed letter as “worthless”.

Jorge Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro and the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, refuted these claims, saying that González had willingly signed the letter. Rodríguez also presented the signed letter during a press conference in Caracas, adding that González has 24 hours to retract his allegations or face the release of audio recordings, which he says will disprove the opposition leader’s claims.

González, now officially granted asylum in Spain, remains defiant, referring to himself as the “president-elect of millions” who voted for change and democracy in Venezuela. He pledged to continue fighting to uphold that mandate, despite the political pressure he says he faced from Maduro’s regime.

The election results, announced by pro-Maduro electoral authorities, have been heavily disputed by both González and numerous international bodies.