Versión Español
The Venezuelan political leader and prisoner, Leopoldo López, sent a message to the country on the eve of ushering in the year 2017. In the letter, written in his handwriting, he established a “road map” for ending the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.
The opposition leader said that it is necessary to resume the offensive against the regime. This, after 2016, the ruling party crossed “a line that the Venezuelan democrats and the democratic world should not tolerate with passivity.”
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Lopez said that failure to recognize the authority of the National Assembly, the regime’s total control of public powers and the arbitrary elimination of the recall referendum were the facts that made it clear that Venezuela is in the grasp of a dictatorship.
In the “road map” the political prisoner asked the National Assembly “to confirm the political responsibility of Nicolás Maduro for failing to discharge his constitutional duties.” In addition, he proposed that “before the regime has further opportunity to disregard the National Assembly” the opposition must hold “large popular demonstrations”.
Lopez called on the opposition to work together to recover the exercise of the right to a popular vote with the legitimate sanction of the authorities of the National Electoral Council (CNE).
He also proposed to transform the current opposition coalition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) to the Movement of Democratic Unity.
“Now is the time to put up resistance and struggle for our democratic rights, and this struggle requires the greatest commitment. That is why we propose to move from the “table” to the “movement” of Democratic Unity, whose central objective will be to recover the right to the popular vote, and defeat the dictatorship so that we can restore constitutional order and democracy.
For her part, Lilian Tintori, wife of the leader of Popular Will party, said that this letter “was able to escape from the walls of injustice and isolation in Ramo Verde”, the prison where López is being held.
Source: Sumarium
