What you need to know
The Venezuelan government announced on Saturday that opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who had been in hiding after challenging President Nicolás Maduro's disputed re-election, has left the country and sought asylum in Spain.
"After taking refuge voluntarily at the Spanish embassy in Caracas a few days ago, (Gonzalez) asked the Spanish government for political asylum," Venezuela's vice president said on social media. He added that Caracas had agreed to his safe passage and that he had already left the country.
The opposition did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Venezuela has been embroiled in a political crisis since authorities declared Maduro the victor of the July 28 election. The opposition cried foul, claiming they had evidence González had won by a comfortable margin.
Numerous nations, including the United States, the European Union, and several Latin American countries, have refused to recognize Maduro as the winner without Caracas releasing detailed voting data.
Following the election, Venezuelan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for González over his insistence that he is the rightful winner.
Prior to leaving the country, he had been in hiding for a month, ignoring three successive summons to appear before prosecutors.
Post-election violence in Venezuela has claimed 27 lives and left 192 people injured. The government says it has arrested some 2,400 people.