This Tuesday, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) presented its Roadmap for the Democratic Transition to a group of approximately fifty former political prisoners.
The meeting is part of a series of meetings that the opposition coalition has held with different sectors of Venezuelan society, with the aim of explaining the guidelines of the plan and gathering support to move towards an orderly, peaceful and institutional transition.
The Roadmap, presented publicly on April 12, establishes eight key conditions considered essential to initiate a true transition. Among them stand out:
- The immediate and total release of all political prisoners, described by the PUD as “an essential moral and political condition.”
- The definitive cessation of political persecution and the dismantling of the repressive apparatus.
- The full opening of civic space, which includes freedom of expression, press and association.
- The formation of a new independent National Electoral Council (CNE).
- Electoral guarantees with credible international observation.
- The safe return of the exiles with full guarantees.
- The re-institutionalization of the country and the restitution of the political rights of all Venezuelans.
The opposition insists that, as long as there are Venezuelans detained for political reasons, “the transition has not really started.”
Leaders of several parties that make up the Unitary Platform participated in this Tuesday’s meeting. The activity was attended by former political prisoners who shared their experiences and received details about the stages of the plan: stabilization and re-institutionalization, economic recovery with reconciliation, and the call for free and competitive elections.
As of April 27, the PUD has verified 776 releases of people detained for political reasons, although organizations such as Foro Penal maintain that there are still pending cases.
Coalition leaders have emphasized that the Roadmap seeks to build a common path that involves all democratic sectors of the country, combining citizen pressure with possible spaces for negotiation.
