Leopoldo López warns of “nervousness and purges” within Maduro’s regime

The national head of Voluntad Popular (VP), Leopoldo López, said that the internal tensions within chavismo are increasingly evident and that within Nicolás Maduro’s regime there are episodes of “nervousness” and “internal persecution.”

“This is not a narrative, it is reality. There is nervousness, unease in the ranks of the regime. There have been internal purges by Maduro, and that has led to arrests and persecution,” he told the Spanish newspaper ABC.

He asserted that the fractures within the regime reflect the erosion of a system that, although it appears strong, “is corroded from within.”

In this regard, the VP leader stated that the Venezuelan political process will not be linear, but will go through “advances and setbacks,” but he insisted that these fissures could open an opportunity for a transition.

“The moment will come when a window opens for the transition, and we must be prepared to seize it,” he said.

The opposition leader stressed that international pressure and citizen mobilization inside Venezuela are essential factors in keeping the regime in check. However, he warned that any future negotiation cannot be conditioned on the dropping of the criminal charges against Maduro.

“There can be no negotiation on the basis that a criminal not be put on trial,” he said to the Spanish outlet.

He warned that, despite the harshness of the situation, chavismo’s growing internal fragility could become a turning point if the pressure is maintained: “Maduro only understands force and pressure. If that pressure is maintained, an opportunity for change will open up,” he told ABC.

Maduro, head of the Cártel de los Soles

López also reiterated his accusations that Maduro leads the Cártel de los Soles and is part of a “mafia state” sustained by drug trafficking and by illicit alliances with armed groups.

“It is not just that Maduro collaborates with the Cártel de los Soles, it is that he runs it. He is the head of the Cartel,” he declared.

He recalled that almost a decade ago he denounced Maduro’s connections with that criminal network, which runs cocaine trafficking from Venezuela to the United States and Europe, and that at the time few believed him. Today, he noted, U.S. investigations have confirmed those accusations: the Department of Justice maintains a $50 million dollar reward for Maduro’s capture.

According to López, international isolation and the drop in oil revenue have pushed the regime to deepen its ties to illegal economies, especially gold and cocaine. He cited a State Department report that describes Venezuela as “a global hub of cocaine trafficking” and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, which reported the presence of armed groups with support from Caracas in much of Colombian territory.

In this regard, he insisted that the fight against drug trafficking must be a priority issue in both the United States and Europe.