'Imperative' to respect Venezuelan voters, Spanish PM tells UN

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called at the United Nations on Wednesday for respect of voters in Venezuela, where leftist Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of a widely disputed election.

"It is imperative to respect the will of the Venezuelan people," Sanchez told the UN General Assembly, calling the situation in the South American country "enormously worrying."

Sanchez said he wanted to "reiterate once again Spain's unwavering commitment to democracy and the defense of human rights" in Venezuela and condemned "any arrests or threats against political leaders."

Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was granted asylum by Spain following the vote and weeks in hiding in Venezuela.

He said last week he had been coerced into signing a letter distributed by Venezuelan authorities in which he supposedly conceded election defeat to Maduro.

In the letter, dated September 7 and addressed to National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez, Gonzalez Urrutia said "I respect" the regime-aligned CNE electoral council's proclamation of Maduro as the winner of the July 28 vote.

The 75-year-old retired diplomat published a message on X from Madrid saying he was made to sign the letter in exchange for being allowed to leave.

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