Leopoldo Lopez expressed optimism that millions of Venezuelan voters would initiate a democratic transition by voting against incumbent Nicolas Maduro in the upcoming presidential elections later in July.
Lopez was jailed in 2014 for leading protests against Maduro and was placed under house arrest in 2017. He served as a mentor to opposition leader Juan Guaido, who attempted to incite a military revolt against Maduro.
Despite a court ruling banning opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from running due to alleged fraud violations, the opposition still holds a substantial lead in opinion polls ahead of the July 28 vote.
That decision forced her coalition to rally behind a new candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez.
“Maduro can’t win the election without massive electoral fraud,” Lopez, founder of the Voluntad Popular opposition party, told Reuters at the United Nations in Geneva. “Of course, we know that Maduro is a dictator, but we are very optimistic that a transition to democracy will begin on July 29 in Venezuela.”
Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, a Socialist, is seeking a third term in office, despite Western governments dismissing his 2018 re-election as a sham. The United States has urged Maduro’s government to ensure that the upcoming elections are “competitive and inclusive.”
Doubts have been raised about the credibility of the vote after Venezuela revoked an invitation to European Union election observers. Lopez, who fled the country in 2020 and now resides in Spain, said it is unlikely that the vote will be free and fair. “There has been total censorship and manipulation of the voter registry,” he said. “But the overwhelming majority will go out and vote, and it will be a gigantic expression of change.”
