Spanish prime minister meets with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Gonzalez

Pedro Sanchez greets exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez (Fernando Calvo, Spanish Government via AP)

Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday, four days after fleeing to the European country in a negotiated deal with Nicolas Maduro’s government.

Mr Gonzalez’s flight to exile — after weeks of seeking refuge in the embassies of the Netherlands and Spain in Caracas — had dealt a major blow to millions who placed their hopes in his opposition campaign.