From Spain, top dissident vows to fight for free Venezuela

MADRID — Leopoldo López, the Venezuelan politician who for years has led some of the biggest challenges to the government of Nicolás Maduro, pledged Tuesday from his self-imposed exile in Spain to continue fighting to “free” his homeland. “It is our responsibility — and also the one of nations that believe in democracy — to do everything in their power to liberate Venezuela,” said López, adding that change shouldn’t happen because of external influence but due to the Venezuelan people’s will “in coordination with the free world.” López spoke to cameras minutes after he was received by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the headquarters of Sánchez’s Socialist Party in Madrid — a choice of location interpreted as an attempt by the Spanish leader to distance his left-wing coalition from Venezuelan politics. In a tweet, Spain’s Socialist Party shared video of the meeting, writing that the party wanted a political solution for Venezuela in a “peaceful way.” “The Venezuelan people must suffer as little as possible,” the tweet said. Presenting himself as a “commissioner” of the government of Juan Guaidó, a López protege who has been recognized as Venezuela’s interim leader by more than 50 countries that consider Maduro’s 2018 reelection illegitimate, López pledged to promote a “free, fair and verifiable” new presidential election in Venezuela. López, who said he had been forced to leave Venezuela “because of the circumstances,” quoted a former Venezuelan presidential hopeful, Rómulo Betancourt, who famously said “We will come back” after losing the 1978 presidential election.