The Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez landed in Spain on Sunday to seek asylum, amid a political crisis in his country over July's disputed election.
Mr Gonzalez, who has challenged President Nicolas Maduro's declaration of victory, arrived at the Torrejon de Ardoz military base with his wife.
Gonzalez, who was a candidate in the election, said he was “confident that soon we will continue the fight to achieve freedom and the recovery of democracy in Venezuela”, in an audio message.The 75-year-old fled the country a week after Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes.
“Today is a sad day for democracy in Venezuela," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
“In a democracy, no political leader should be forced to seek asylum in another country."
Mr Gonzalez "remains the best hope for democracy," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added in a post on messaging platform X.
“We must not let Maduro and his representatives cling to power by force," he said.
Venezuelan authorities insisted they had given Mr Gonzalez safe passage despite the arrest warrant in a bid to restore "political peace".
The opposition claimed the July 28 election resulted in a resounding victory for Mr Gonzalez, and published vote tallies online that they say show he won.
But Mr Maduro has dismissed all that, alleging there was a right-wing plot to sabotage his government.
Senior opposition figures also confirmed Mr Gonzalez, a former diplomat, would continue to fight the election result from Spain.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Spanish TV he had told Mr Gonzalez "any person whose physical integrity or fundamental rights may be endangered would be welcomed in Spain and its embassy."
He added that his relocation to Spain had been planned for days and the foreign ministry said Gonzalez's asylum process would now start.
Venezuela's election body has failed to publish its voting tallies for the election, despite international pressure to do so.
The US, the EU and many foreign governments have refused to accept Mr Maduro as the winner without Caracas releasing detailed voting data to prove the result.
