Gonzalez, whom the opposition insist was the real winner of a July election awarded to Maduro, told Reuters during an interview in Madrid he could have been jailed and possibly tortured had he stayed

Edmundo González said the government made him sign a document recognizing President Nicolás Maduro as the election winner before he could flee to Spain.

The revelation of the letter is the latest strain to the country's political crisis, which was exacerbated by the disputed election results and Edmundo González's recent departure for exile in Spain.

Venezuela’s opposition candidate was forced to admit Nicolas Maduro as the election winner in July. Edmundo Gonzalez released a video message on Wednesday claiming that the Maduro regime pressured him into signing a letter stating he lost the election.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 election, citing 51 percent of the vote for Maduro and 44 for González. But the official results were never released. Instead,