Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González has left the South American country after seeking asylum in Spain, according to the Spanish foreign minister.

“Edmundo González, at his own request, flew to Spain on a Spanish air force plane,” José Manuel Albares said in a statement online, adding that the “government of Spain is committed to the political rights and physical integrity of all Venezuelans”.

Venezuelan vice-president Delcy Rodriguez also said González had left the country.

Gonzalez, who ran against president Nicolas Maduro in July, left after “voluntarily seeking refuge in the Spanish embassy in Caracas several days ago”, Rodriguez posted on Instagram.

She said the government Maduro, which had ordered the candidate’s arrest, decided to grant González safe passage out of the country to contribute to the country’s political peace.

Neither González or anyone from Venezuela’s opposition has yet to comment.

With Reuters and the Associated Press