Edmundo González Urrutia received the 2024 Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament, alongside María Corina Machado, to whom he has reaffirmed the leadership of the political and organizational process of the opposition. Photo: © European Union 2024 – Source : EP
Guacamaya, May 5, 2025. Opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia was hospitalized this Monday in a public hospital in Spain after suffering a sudden episode of low blood pressure. Through a statement shared on his social media, González Urrutia informed that his health condition is stable and that he is receiving adequate medical care.
The former presidential candidate expressed gratitude for the work of the medical and nursing staff and emphasized that both his family and his team feel reassured by the favorable progress of his condition. In the statement, González Urrutia reaffirmed his commitment to the country and assured that his return to political responsibilities will be carried out according to medical recommendations.
González Urrutia, 75, has been in exile in Spain since September 2024, after denouncing fraud in the presidential elections of the previous July. The diplomat and university professor was the candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) after opposition leader María Corina Machado and her substitute, Corina Yoris, were prevented from running by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Before leaving, González Urrutia spent several days sheltered in the residence of the Spanish ambassador in Caracas. According to an account published on his social media, he was visited at the diplomatic headquarters by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. They presented him with a document that, he claimed, he signed under coercion as a condition for traveling to Spain.
The July 28, 2024, presidential elections were marked by allegations of irregularities and lack of transparency. The CNE declared Nicolás Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes, while González Urrutia, according to official results, obtained 44.2%. However, the opposition presented a parallel vote count that gave their candidate a significant advantage.
The results presented by the opposition leadership were backed by international observation missions and recognized by the governments of the United States, the European Union, and some Latin American countries. From exile, González Urrutia has held meetings with international leaders and has reiterated his intention to return to the country to assume the presidency.
In his message, González Urrutia highlighted the leadership of María Corina Machado, who, according to the statement, will remain at the forefront of the political and organizational process of the Venezuelan opposition. Machado has been a central figure in the campaign and in denouncing the alleged electoral fraud, and she has reiterated that the opposition will not abandon the defense of the popular will expressed in the presidential elections.
