Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez said Tuesday he has ended a month-long hunger strike, a day after the government set a date for legislative elections.
"We lift the hunger strike, but the struggle continues," he said in a three-page handwritten letter read out at a press conference by his wife Lilian Tintori.
He called on dozens of supporters who had held hunger strikes of their own to call off their fasts and "embrace with humility the gains obtained with this protest."
Lopez, who has been held at a military prison for 16 months, went on a hunger strike May 24 to demand the release of political prisoners and that legislative elections be monitored by international observers.
On Monday, the head of the national election council set a December 6 date for the vote amid mounting international pressure.
The government of President Nicolas Maduro has seen its popularity tumble amid a punishing economic crisis that has led to widespread shortages and soaring inflation.
An April survey by polling firm Datanalisis found Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies had 25 percent support against 45.8 percent for the opposition.
The loosely united opposition -- one faction of which is led by Lopez -- sees the elections as a chance to win control over a National Assembly controlled since 1999 by the leftist followers of the late Hugo Chavez.
"The change now has a date," Lopez said in his letter, cautioning that there was still "a ways to go."
Tintori, who was accompanied by 14 of the hunger strikers and by leaders of Lopez's Popular Will party, said the opposition has not given up on its other demands.
These include the release of all political prisoners, an end to "persecution and censorship" and the presence of election observers from the EU and Organization of American States, she said.
- Fragmented opposition -
Lopez is the leader of the opposition's radical wing, the one that urged Venezuelans to take to the streets last year and oust Maduro's government with massive protests.
A telegenic 44-year-old economist with a master's degree from Harvard, Lopez was arrested on charges of inciting violence at the protests, which shook Venezuela for months and left 43 people dead.
The movement, known as "La Salida" -- which means both "the solution" and "the exit" -- was criticized by more moderate opposition figures, including Henrique Capriles, the presidential candidate who narrowly lost the 2013 vote to Maduro after Chavez's death.
Capriles, the leader of the opposition's fractious coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), said the group should focus on ousting Maduro through elections rather than street protests.
The opposition's different factions must now set aside their differences to win at the polls, said political analyst Carmen Beatriz Fernandez of consultancy Datastrategia.
The setting of an election date allowed Lopez, who has lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds), to make "a very dignified exit" from his hunger strike, said Fernandez.
"Now the opposition, although it is more fragmented than before, with two major leaders, Lopez and Capriles, should concentrate as a united force on the elections," she said.
The United States, whose strained relations with Maduro's government have further deteriorated in recent months, welcomed the election announcement and Lopez's decision to end his hunger strike.
"Mr Lopez is a man of physical and moral courage who has chosen a path of civil non-violent resistance to pursue his political objectives," said a State Department spokesman, John Kirby.
Lopez "is an important political leader who can play a significant role in the democratic dialogue necessary to overcome the political disputes that beset Venezuela," he added.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have spiked since Maduro -- who, like his mentor Chavez, regularly lashes out at "American imperialism" -- accused Washington of backing a coup attempt against him in February.
The United States dismissed the claim as "baseless and false."
Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez said Tuesday he has ended a month-long hunger strike, a day after the government set a date for legislative elections.
“We lift the hunger strike, but the struggle continues,” he said in a three-page handwritten letter read out at a press conference by his wife Lilian Tintori.
He called on dozens of supporters who had held hunger strikes of their own to call off their fasts and “embrace with humility the gains obtained with this protest.”
Lopez, who has been held at a military prison for 16 months, went on a hunger strike May 24 to demand the release of political prisoners and that legislative elections be monitored by international observers.
On Monday, the head of the national election council set a December 6 date for the vote amid mounting international pressure.
The government of President Nicolas Maduro has seen its popularity tumble amid a punishing economic crisis that has led to widespread shortages and soaring inflation.
An April survey by polling firm Datanalisis found Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allies had 25 percent support against 45.8 percent for the opposition.
The loosely united opposition — one faction of which is led by Lopez — sees the elections as a chance to win control over a National Assembly controlled since 1999 by the leftist followers of the late Hugo Chavez.
“The change now has a date,” Lopez said in his letter, cautioning that there was still “a ways to go.”
Tintori, who was accompanied by 14 of the hunger strikers and by leaders of Lopez’s Popular Will party, said the opposition has not given up on its other demands.
These include the release of all political prisoners, an end to “persecution and censorship” and the presence of election observers from the EU and Organization of American States, she said.
– Fragmented opposition –
Lopez is the leader of the opposition’s radical wing, the one that urged Venezuelans to take to the streets last year and oust Maduro’s government with massive protests.
A telegenic 44-year-old economist with a master’s degree from Harvard, Lopez was arrested on charges of inciting violence at the protests, which shook Venezuela for months and left 43 people dead.
The movement, known as “La Salida” — which means both “the solution” and “the exit” — was criticized by more moderate opposition figures, including Henrique Capriles, the presidential candidate who narrowly lost the 2013 vote to Maduro after Chavez’s death.
Capriles, the leader of the opposition’s fractious coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), said the group should focus on ousting Maduro through elections rather than street protests.
The opposition’s different factions must now set aside their differences to win at the polls, said political analyst Carmen Beatriz Fernandez of consultancy Datastrategia.
The setting of an election date allowed Lopez, who has lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds), to make “a very dignified exit” from his hunger strike, said Fernandez.
“Now the opposition, although it is more fragmented than before, with two major leaders, Lopez and Capriles, should concentrate as a united force on the elections,” she said.
The United States, whose strained relations with Maduro’s government have further deteriorated in recent months, welcomed the election announcement and Lopez’s decision to end his hunger strike.
“Mr Lopez is a man of physical and moral courage who has chosen a path of civil non-violent resistance to pursue his political objectives,” said a State Department spokesman, John Kirby.
Lopez “is an important political leader who can play a significant role in the democratic dialogue necessary to overcome the political disputes that beset Venezuela,” he added.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have spiked since Maduro — who, like his mentor Chavez, regularly lashes out at “American imperialism” — accused Washington of backing a coup attempt against him in February.
The United States dismissed the claim as “baseless and false.”
