In Caracas, Jorge Rodriguez, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, revealed details about the meeting that former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had with representatives of the Venezuelan government.
During a meeting that took place in the presence of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, the far-right politician signed a letter pledging to respect the decision that the Venezuelan Supreme Court was to take regarding the presidential elections held on July 28th.
“He sought us out. There was no coercion of any kind, as some foreign news agencies and far-right groups have baselessly claimed,” the National Assembly President said, referring to the meeting that took place on September 7th.
As shown in images currently circulating on social media, the meeting at the Spanish embassy encompassed Gonzalez, Jorge Rodriguez, and Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
“Days before Gonzalez left the country, we were contacted by people close to him to discuss with President Nicolas Maduro his desire to leave the country,” legislator Rodriguez said, emphasizing that the letter leaked in Madrid was not signed under any kind of pressure.
“Gonzalez decided on his own to recognize all the institutions of the Venezuelan state and to comply with the ruling issued by the Supreme Court of Justice. The night before leaving Venezuela, he invited us to talk at the embassy of the Kingdom of Spain here in Caracas,” Rodriguez emphasized, revealing that this face-to-face meeting was also preceded by several telephone conversations.
Once the letter signed at the Spanish embassy was leaked to the press, some people close to the former right-wing candidate began to deny the veracity of the letter, either indicating that it was not signed by Gonzalez or that he signed it under pressure.
In response to these false claims, the Venezuelan National Assembly president gave Gonzalez 24 hours to stop spreading lies. Otherwise, Rodriguez will present more evidence about the events and the veracity of a letter in which Gonzalez recognized President Maduro’s victory in the July elections.