The Venezuelan government announced that opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González has left the country and sought asylum in Spain. González had been in hiding after the opposition challenged the results of July’s presidential election, where the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Nicolás Maduro the winner, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Venezuela’s Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez stated on social media that González had “voluntarily” taken refuge at the Spanish embassy in Caracas some days ago before requesting political asylum from the Spanish government. She confirmed that the Venezuelan authorities had granted him safe passage, and González has since left the country.

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed that González departed on a Spanish Air Force plane at his own request. Albares reiterated Spain’s commitment to the political rights of all Venezuelans, and Spanish media reported that González will be granted political asylum.

González’s lawyer confirmed his departure to AFP news agency but did not provide further details. Meanwhile, Venezuelan security forces have surrounded the Argentine embassy in Caracas, where six political opponents of President Maduro are currently sheltering. The Venezuelan foreign ministry has accused the group of plotting terrorist acts from within the embassy.

Venezuela has been embroiled in a political crisis since authorities declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election. The opposition claims it has evidence that González won by a significant margin and has published detailed voting tallies online that suggest González convincingly defeated Maduro. Several countries, including the United States, the European Union, and various Latin American nations, have refused to recognize Maduro’s victory without the release of comprehensive voting data.

Since the election, over 2,400 people have been detained by President Maduro’s government, creating what the United Nations has described as “a climate of fear.”