The news that Edmundo Gonzalezwinner of the Venezuelan presidential elections of July 28, landed in Spain, where he will benefit from political asylum, has been interpreted in a radically different way by the parties of the Spanish political arc, by the Venezuelan dictatorship and by the opposition to Chavismo.
The granting of political asylum to Edmundo González is humanitarian aid, but also a democratic failure.
The reception of a seventy-five-year-old politician who was catapulted to the position of opposition leader by the strings of the Chavista dictatorship and the repression of the rest of the candidates, and at their head Maria Corina Machadois a humanitarian obligation and a personal relief for him and his family.
But it is undeniable that his departure from Venezuela, after an agreement between the dictatorship and the Spanish government, most likely managed by Shoemakeras you suggested Albaresrepresents a very severe blow to the hopes of millions of democratic Venezuelans and seriously compromises the possibility that Wall give up power.
The departure of Edmundo González leaves María Corina Machado as the only visible leader of the opposition. The dictatorship will now focus entirely on her, and Maduro will be able to argue that Edmundo González recognized the authority of the “legitimate” government and “acknowledged” his defeat in the elections.
His flight from Venezuela is therefore understandable from a personal point of view, but it will have extremely serious political consequences.
The Spanish government gave asylum to Edmundo and tried to present this humanitarian gesture, on the other hand so practical for the dictatorshipas proof of their commitment to democracy.
But the reality is more complex. The Spanish government continues not to recognize the opposition’s victory in last July’s elections and also continues not to condemn the theft of those elections by Chavismo. Placing itself in the request for a report is nothing more than a way of letting time pass until the case disappears from the headlines and Maduro is definitively installed in power.
If it is true, on the other hand, that Zapatero negotiated with Chavismo to “get rid of” Edmundo González, if it is true that the former Spanish president continues to have influence in the Venezuelan socialist regime, why is he not working to denounce the theft of the elections and demand Maduro’s resignation?
The departure of Edmundo González is, once again, proof of the failure of democracies, defenseless against dictators like Nicolas Maduro either Vladimir Putin. Until we have legal and political tools to remove dictators from power, cases like that of Edmundo González will remain common.
