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CARACAS (AP):

Former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González arrived in Spain on Sunday after fleeing into exile as part of a negotiated deal with Nicolás Maduro’s government that dealt a major blow to millions who placed their hopes in his opposition campaign.

The surprise departure of the man considered by Venezuela’s opposition and several foreign governments to be the legitimate winner of July 28 presidential election was announced late Saturday by Venezuelan officials who, just a few days ago, ordered his arrest.

González landed on Sunday at a military airport near Madrid, accompanied by his wife and Spanish officials. Hours later, he sent a short voice message to supporters, thanking them for their support.

“My departure from Caracas was surrounded by acts of pressure, coercion and threats,” he said. “I trust that we will soon continue our fight to achieve our freedom and the restoration of Venezuela’s democracy.”

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried to put a positive spin on his departure, assuring Venezuelans that the 75-year-old retired diplomat would be back on January 10 for a swearing-in ceremony marking the start of the next presidential term.

“His life was in danger, and the increasing threats, summons, arrest warrants and even attempts at blackmail and coercion to which he has been subjected, demonstrate that the regime has no scruples,” Machado said on X. “Let this be very clear to everyone: Edmundo will fight from outside alongside our diaspora.”

But on the streets of Caracas on Sunday, the mood was one of despair at the loss of someone who, against the odds, reignited a movement to end more than two decades of single-party rule.

“What little hope we had left, it went with him,” said Laura Vargas, as she scrolled through the news on her cell phone while sitting on a park bench.

González joins the swelling ranks of opposition stalwarts who once fought Maduro, only to throw in the towel and seek asylum abroad in the face of a brutal crackdown. In Spain, he joins at least four former presidential hopefuls who were imprisoned or faced arrest for defying Maduro’s rule.