Antonio Ledezma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ledezma in 2018 | |
| 3rd Metropolitan Mayor ofCaracas | |
| In office 1 December 2008 – 19 February 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Barreto |
| Succeeded by | Helen Fernández |
| 4th Mayor ofLibertador Municipality | |
| In office 23 January 1996 – 30 July 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Aristóbulo Istúriz |
| Succeeded by | Freddy Bernal |
| Member of theSenate of Venezuela forGuárico State | |
| In office 23 January 1994 – 23 January 1995 | |
| Governor of the Federal District | |
| In office 13 January 1992 – 24 May 1993 | |
| President | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| Preceded by | Virgilio Ávila Vivas |
| Succeeded by | César Rodríguez Berrizbeitía |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies forGuárico State | |
| In office 23 January 1984 – 13 January 1992 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antonio José Ledezma Díaz (1955-05-01)1 May 1955 (age 70) San Juan de los Morros,Guárico, Venezuela |
| Political party | Democratic Action(1973-2000) Fearless People's Alliance(2000–present) |
| Spouse | Mitzy Capriles |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Caracas |
| Alma mater | Universidad Santa María Universidad Metropolitana |
| Awards | Sakharov Prize (2017) |
| Signature |  |
Antonio José Ledezma Díaz (born 1 May 1955)[1] is a Venezuelan lawyer,opposition politician and former political prisoner. After unsuccessfully challenging for the leadership ofDemocratic Action in 1999, he founded a new party, theFearless People's Alliance.[1]
After involvement in politics in his home state of Guárico in the 1970s forDemocratic Action, he served two terms in theVenezuelan Chamber of Deputies (from 1984),[1] and was elected to theVenezuelan Senate in 1994.[1] He then served as mayor of theLibertador Municipality (1996–2000) of theVenezuelan Capital District, having been appointed governor of the now-defunct Federal District (1992–1993) byCarlos Andrés Pérez.[1]
He also served as the head ofCoordinadora Democrática opposition coalition.[2] In 2003, he presented the list of signature collection centers to theNational Electoral Council in preparation for the2004 recall referendum against the Chávez's presidency.[3] Ledezma left Coordinadora Democrática in September 2004, saying that he did not agree to participate in theupcoming regional elections and that the government would commit fraud.[4] In 2014, Ledezma was one of the main leaders ofLa Salida protest movement.[5]
In January 1992, he was appointed by President Carlos Andrés Pérez as Governor of the former Federal District (which included the current Capital District and Vargas State), replacingVirgilio Ávila Vivas. In November 1992, the Caracas policekilled over 100 prisoners in the Catia prison. According to Ledezma: "What happened in the Catia prison is linked to the coup insurrection, because there is no doubt that what was intended was to create chaos in Caracas and that more than 3,000 inmates took to the streets, and this had to be controlled at the cost of many lives". He held this position until 21 May 1993, when President Pérez was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Justice, being replaced by César Rodríguez, also from Democratic Action.[6]
He ran for mayor of theLibertador Municipality of Caracas in the1995 regional elections and won, an office that he held between 1996 and 2000. From the beginning, he promoted a policy to reduce the number ofstreet vendors and informal traders, demolished the popular market ofLa Hoyada, built the new public transportation terminal of La Bandera, took charge of the procedures for the repatriation of a large number of undocumented immigrants residing in Caracas, and campaigned for the construction of line 4 of theCaracas Metro. Regarding his relations with the national executive, in a sort of capital cohabitation, he maintained good relations with PresidentRafael Caldera. However, he kept distance with theHugo Chávez government.[7][8]
In 1998, according to the law, the term of all mayors was due to expire, but due to the large number of elections to be held that year (presidential, regional and parliamentary elections), the municipal elections were postponed. At the beginning of 2000, he announced his intention to run for the presidency, which was to be held that year due to the approval a year before of the new Constitution which stipulated new general elections. However, he decided to abandon the idea due to the launching of the candidacy of Chávez's former partner,Francisco Arias Cárdenas, indicating that he would not be a divisive element in the opposition. He then sought reelection as mayor, but was defeated by the ruling party candidate and member of theFifth Republic Movement,Freddy Bernal. Ledezma did not recognize the results and considered them fraudulent.[9][10]
During this period he also presided over the Metropolitan Council of Government (1997-1998), was appointed Vice President of the Union of Capital Cities of Iberoamerica in 1998, and between 1999 and 2000 he presided over the National Association of Mayors of Venezuela. In 1999, he aspired to the General Secretariat of Democratic Action, but declined shortly thereafter because he disagreed with the manner of election of the authorities of the party. For said reason, he resigned from that political organization in 2000 and founded, along with some dissidents, in that year, theFearless People's Alliance party, an organization that he still presides.[11][12]
In 2008, Ledezma ran as candidate for Caracas Metropolitan mayor, supported by different opposition parties and challenging pro-governmentPSUV andFatherland for All candidateAristóbulo Istúriz. In August the registration period for candidates to participate in the regional elections closed, and afterLepoldo López was unable to register,A New Era registeredWilliam Ojeda as its option for the mayoralty. In September Ojeda withdrew his candidacy and supported Ledezma, becoming the candidate of the unity. In October, days prior to the electoral event, some opinion polls showed a supposed technical tie between the pro-government candidate, Aristóbulo Istúriz and Ledezma, while others gave him a short advantage.[13][14]
On 23 November 2008, the regional elections were held and Ledezma won with 52.42% of the votes, with the support of his party and 21 other opposition parties. In his speech accepting the results, he promised to make Caracas "a city for life" and dedicated his victory to the poorest.[15] He included Carlos Melo, Leopoldo López andYon Goicoechea in his cabinet. He was re-elected in 2013 for theDemocratic Unity Roundtable coalition against his opponentErnesto Villegas.[citation needed]
After his election, the National Assembly passed a Capital District Law on 30 April 2009, that transferred most functions, funding, and personnel of the Metropolitan Mayor of Caracas to a new Venezuelan Capital District (headed byJacqueline Faría, an official directly appointed byHugo Chávez) covering in particular the political center of Caracas and the municipality ofLibertador. A legal challenge was filed and a request was filed with the National Electoral Council to hold a referendum, but this did not stop the transfer. The opposition described the move as a deliberate negation of the popular vote, while Chávez supporters described the political and budgetary reorganization as an "act of justice" forLibertador, the largest and poorest of the five municipalities making up Caracas.[16] Following the removal of such power, Ledezma began ahunger strike that drew international attention.[17]
On July 3, 2009, Mayor Ledezma went to the Organization of American States (OAS) offices in Caracas to declare the hunger strike in rejection of the national government's attitude of not recognizing the mayor of the Metropolitan District. According to the mayor, the strike was a success for the mayor since the government and the OAS gave in to his demands. Pro-government media, such as the Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, were quick to qualify this strike as a "simple show", since according to the government, the mayor already had the funds to pay the employees of his mayor's office, one of the points for which he went on hunger strike.[18] However, the day before in the evening hours, the Sole Authority of the Capital District, an instance recently created by decree of the government of President Hugo Chávez, which assumed competencies that were taken away from Ledezma in the framework of a legal reform, announced the transfer to the mayor's office of a "financial aid" of 52. 52,000 bolivars (about 24,186 dollars) so that the Metropolitan Mayor's Office, whose headquarters in Caracas also passed from Ledezma's hands to the government of the Capital District, "proceeds to cancel, strictly" the payrolls of June and July, according to a statement.[19] The Secretary General of the OAS,José Miguel Insulza, promised to receive a commission of governors and parliamentarians in Washington.[20]
On February 19, 2015, he was detained by theBolivarian Intelligence Service at his office in the EXA Tower inCaracas. In the operation, the security forces made warning shots to the air to disperse a crowd that was forming. He was then transported to SEBIN's headquarters in Plaza Venezuela. His lawyer declared that the charges for his detention were unknown.[21][22][23][24][25] Ledezma was arrested by the Venezuelan Government after accusations made by President Nicolás Maduro about an "American plot to overthrow the government" that he presented a week before Ledezma's arrest.[26] Ledezma mocked the accusations stating that the Venezuelan government was destabilizing itself through corruption.[17] The United States rejected the accusations by President Maduro and stated that "Venezuela’s problems cannot be solved by criminalizing dissent".[26] He was imprisoned in Ramo Verde military jail. Two months later, he was sent back home for health reasons, where he had been placed under house arrest and unable to express himself publicly.[27]
Following the news of the arrest of Ledezma, his supporters quickly created protests and called the arrest a "kidnapping" and that the coup conspiracy was created for political purposes.[26] Hours after the news broke, hundreds of Ledezma supporters gathered in a Caracas plaza to denounce his arrest.[26] Protesters also gathered outside of the SEBIN headquarters.[22]
Amnesty International condemned Ledezma's arrest calling itpolitically motivated, noting the similar cases of arrests made by the Venezuelan Government in what Amnesty International described as "silencing dissenting voices".[28]Human Rights Watch demanded his release with Human Rights Watch's Americas division director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, stating that without evidence, Ledezma "faces another case of arbitrary detention of opponents in a country where there is no judicial independence".[26][29]
In March 2015, former socialist Prime Minister of Spain,Felipe González, agreed to take over the defense of Ledezma in his trial after Ledezma's family requested his assistance.[30]
On November 17, 2017, Ledezma slipped past guards and fled toColombia. He departed the same day fromEl Dorado International Airport toAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport inMadrid,Spain. Upon landing he declared he would continue his fight of opposition to the Venezuelan government and was reunited with his family.[citation needed]
Ledezma signed theMadrid Charter.[31][32]
In October 2023, the Venezuelan government called for the extradition of Ledezma; a 2017 request was denied by Spanish courts and condemned byAmnesty International.[33]
| Preceded by | Metropolitan Mayor of Caracas 2008–2015 | Succeeded by Helen Fernández |
| Preceded by | Mayor of Libertador Municipality 1995–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Virgilio Ávila Vivas | Governor of Federal District of Venezuela 1992–1993 | Succeeded by César Rodríguez |
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