The opposition party Primero Justicia (PJ) expressed this Monday that new elections are necessary for the renewal of the positions of deputies to the National Assembly (AN), governors, mayors and municipal councils, as part of the transition process that, he said, began on January 3 with the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
The organization did not mention the possibility of holding presidential elections and He limited himself to defending the victory of the opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia in the elections of July 28, 2024in which Maduro was proclaimed the winner amid complaints of fraud made by the opposition.
The president of PJ, María Beatriz Martínez, pointed out in a virtual press conference that Regional, legislative and local positions “deserve and require legitimacy through elections” organized by a new electoral body, currently controlled by Chavismo.
All of these charges to which the opponent referred were renewed last year in elections without the participation of the largest anti-Chavista sector, after denouncing that there was fraud in the 2024 presidential elections.
In Martínez’s opinion, there is no way for the country to really enter “a process of democratic transition without the popular will being expressed and respected.”
The leader also expressed the opposition of the political party to “those who hold power circumstantially”, in reference to the government of Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed the Presidency in charge after Maduro’s capture.
Justice First demands release of political prisoners
Primero Justicia sees the “absolute and unconditional” release of all political prisoners as a first step towards democracy – according to the opposition leader. and the “closing of the torture centers”, as well as the dismantling of “that apparatus and structure of terror set up to keep the Venezuelan people oppressed, both by police and paramilitary organizations.”
He also sees as an urgent need the dismissal of Tarek William Saab as attorney general of the Public Ministryan institution that he accused of being “largely responsible for this violation and violation of human rights.”
The lawyer also considers it essential that those who went into exile forced by persecution return and that those who remain clandestine in the country can leave.
Furthermore, Martínez demanded “to stop the persecution of the media and guarantee freedom of expression.”
After the capture of Maduro, Chavismo, now led by Rodríguez, has taken another turn, with the substantial reform of an oil regulation to encourage foreign investment, the release of political prisoners, the announcement of an amnesty law and the rapprochements with the United States, whose ambassador Laura Dogu arrived in Caracas on Saturday to reopen the diplomatic mission, closed since the breaking of relations in 2019.
On Sunday, the NGO Penal Forum confirmed the release of 344 political prisoners since January 8, when the release of a “significant number” of people was announced, a few days after the US attack.
