Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, a refugee in Spain since October 2020, has expressed his «full support» for Juan Guaidó after the National Assembly (AN) put an end to his mandate as «interim president», while stressing that he «risked his life and freedom for Venezuela».
«My full support as a Venezuelan, friend and fellow fighter to Juan Guaidó, who on a day like today four years ago took on the challenge of leading the country as interim president, giving life to an AN that was fading away, confronting the dictatorship, and risking his life and freedom for Venezuela,» he said.
Thus, he has argued in a message on his Instagram account that «four years ago the country was demobilized and the voice of millions of Venezuelans hungry for freedom was invisible to much of the world.» «No one believed that the AN would be able to raise the hope of Venezuelans or lead a rebellion against the dictatorship, and Guaidó succeeded,» he explained.
López has stressed that Guaidó «managed to plant himself in the hearts of Venezuelans inside and outside the country, achieved the recognition of dozens of nations and managed to initiate the biggest institutional offensive that has taken place in these 22 years of struggle against the dictatorship.»
«Guaidó knew how to build and maintain unity for four years, protected billions of dollars from the clutches of the regime, made the complex humanitarian crisis visible with a clarity never before achieved and stamped (Venezuelan President Nicolás) Maduro with the indelible title of dictator in the five continents», he stressed.
However, López has shown himself «aware» of the «failures» and has outlined that «accepting the construction of an interim government where the parliamentary fractions assumed control of the executive power was a mistake». «We did it to strengthen a necessary political unity, today we understand that it was badly planned», he said.
«Many voices at the time warned, and they were right, Guaidó’s hands were tied from the National Assembly and what began as a political control quickly turned into blackmail and betrayal», he has lamented, before arguing that «the most important thing, as will be demonstrated in the future, is that those who accused Guaidó were really those who, from behind, were trying to commit irregularities from the interim government».
Despite this, he has pointed out that «the interim government weakened Maduro, wrested legitimacy from him and achieved remarkable political advances». «We had never been so close to achieving democracy, nor had we had the tools we still have to continue fighting. We have dealt an accurate blow to the dictatorship and we must move forward,» he stressed.
GUAIDÓ «IS NOT A PASSING FIGURE».
López has also indicated that Guaidó «is the stone in the shoe of those who are in the business of washing Maduro’s face». «The same ones who are morally defeated and who think that in Venezuela it only remains to bend so as not to break. To all of them I assure: Juan Guaidó is not a passing figure,» he has defended.
On the other hand, he has emphasized that «never on the part of Guaidó was there a different intention to do what is necessary to get out of Maduro». «Despite being a constant target of incessant attacks from all fronts, he never fell into the realm of disqualification or dirty war,» he pointed out.
«Guaidó does not need a position to put up a fight, that is why he will remain in Venezuela despite the persecution, threats to his family, imprisonment and exile of his team. Juan is in the hearts of millions of Venezuelans, who today applaud his efforts and courage,» he said.
«From Voluntad Popular, I reiterate our gratitude towards Guaidó and our commitment to Venezuela to continue on the same path for freedom,» López has reiterated, hours after Guaidó himself said goodbye to the post reproaching the elimination of this figure and the lack of unity of the opposition after the majority of the opposition deputies of the 2015 National Assembly decided to end his leadership.
In parallel, the Venezuelan opposition elected on Thursday deputy Dinorah Figuera, from the Primero Justicia party, as the new president of the 2015 National Assembly, who will now be in charge of managing Venezuelan assets that have been frozen abroad as part of international sanctions.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
