The Venezuelan opposition leader promises to maintain pressure from abroad “under the leadership” of Guaidó
The departure from Venezuela of Leopoldo López the most symbolic figure of the opposition to Chavismo leaves the plans of the party bloc that seeks to force a resignation of Nicolás Maduro in the air and opens an uncertain scenario about the leadership of that front
The decision of the politician who this Sunday arrived in Madrid to meet with his family after spending more than six years in prison puzzled opposition leaders and militants whose expectations for change have been repeatedly frustrated
López assured that he will continue to fight from a new terrain of struggle and placed himself under the command of Juan Guaidó
The president of the National Assembly recognized as acting head of state by around 60 countries has been the main leader of the opposition to the regime since the beginning of 2019 However Lópezs drive was decisive in empowering him and the strategy adopted to date responds in essence to his direct advice
The waves of mobilizations attempts to provoke a fracture within the Armed Forces uprisings and the lever of sanctions have always collided however with the apparatus and repression of the Chavista government which has managed to remain in the power and controls all the gears of the State
After a confused escape that transpired on Saturday morning and of which the details and the previous organization are still unknown López published five messages on his Twitter account that night that have a mostly internal reading
That is he addressed Venezuelans who at some point trusted him to promise that he would continue his work from abroad That of the exterior against the Venezuelan Government exercised mainly by the United States Latin American countries like neighboring Colombia and to a lesser extent by the European Union long ago became the main asset of the opposition to try to weaken the successor of Hugo Chávez
As always from the streets with the people or in a military jail from an unjust court or persecuted in an embassy all our time and energy will be to be useful to the Venezuelan people in the conquest of their freedom wrote the former mayor from the Caracas municipality of Chacao referring to its recent past
In 2014 he was arrested on charges of encouraging a wave of protests that got out of control and left more than 40 dead He spent three years in the military prison of Ramo Verde until in July 2017 the justice controlled by Chavismo granted him the measure of house for prison that is house arrest
Almost two years later on April 30 2019 he was released with the help of some soldiers and the head of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service Sebin Christopher Figuera in a frustrated attempt at a riot He then asked for refuge in the residence of the Spanish ambassador Jesús Silva To Saturday
The pessimism of the opposition grew in the midst of the pandemic and several leaders who in many cases had to go into exile like López to avoid the persecution of the regime are aware that in the short term a transition is rather a mirage
Tensions also spread and differences surfaced especially with Henrique Capriles with a view to the parliamentary elections called for December in which most of the antiChavez forces will not participate due to lack of guarantees However neither Guaidó whose wear has accelerated in recent months nor López want to show signs of anxiety
Thus the second assured that under the leadership of the head of Parliament and in coordination with the National Assembly the democratic unity and international allies of our struggle a solution will be found We are sure that Venezuela will be free and democratic he said
López 49 is preparing for that journey from Madrid where he landed at noon yesterday The opponent was not seen when he left the Madrid airport and immediately went to his home as family sources have indicated to EL PAÍS The politician did not leave through the usual passenger door despite arriving on a commercial flight Sources at the Madrid airport did not reveal whether López had arrived via Bogotá or Miami or what the stops of the trip would have been
In the Spanish capital live his wife Lilian Tintori his three children and his father the MEP Leopoldo López Gil with whom he has already met Very happy to meet my son in Madrid and enjoy his freedom in the company of the family
Thanks to Spain for its consistent support for democratic principles Leopoldo López Gil tweeted From his official Instagram account the dissident has published the first photo of the family reunion
No member of his family has been seen coming to meet him in Barajas although some sources assured that Tintori and the ambassador to France of the interim government of Juan Guaidó Isadora Zubillaga would have met him at the airport
Neither were his supporters residing in Madrid or an official opposition delegation present as there was to receive Guaidó in January of this year which Tintori precisely led Sources close to the family and also cited by the EFE agency have indicated that they would go to their fathers home in the Salamanca district of Madrid to welcome him and that the opposition leader plans to give a press conference in the next few days
