Speakers included, from left to right: journalist Kico Bautista, Avanzada Progresitsta representative Luis Augusto Romero, UCV professor Eglée González, former president of Fedecámaras Ricardo Cusanno, union leader Pablo Zambrano, UCV commissioner Víctor Rago, representative-elect Stalin González, activist Iris De Franca, and former president of the FCU Jesús Mendoza. Journalist Vladimir Villegas also spoke. Photo: Guacamaya.
Guacamaya, October 14, 2025. At the “One Democratic Venezuela” event, held at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), political, union, and business leaders, as well as journalists and academics, agreed on the need to promote national unity, peace, and respect for human rights.
The meeting was marked by a cross-cutting call for the release of political prisoners and the pursuit of national negotiations that would pave the way for stability and reconciliation.
The event was attended by the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Milton Rengifo. The government of President Gustavo Petro has been critical of US actions in the Caribbean against vessels allegedly leaving Venezuela.
Petro has also repeatedly called for the release of opposition leaders, such as former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, another of the event’s demands.
Former Fedecámaras president Ricardo Cusanno opened the meeting with a message focused on peace as a common path and purpose. “Peace is the goal, but also the means,” he stated, while recalling that “sovereignty cannot be decreed” and that “peace is more than a reward; it is the recognition for creating a viable country.” Cusanno advocated for national negotiations to resolve the conflict and move toward lifting unilateral sanctions and the return of Venezuelan assets abroad.
“The homeland is a ‘we,'” he added, also expressing his solidarity with political prisoners and his rejection of extrajudicial executions in the Caribbean. Cusanno called on the international community to support the Venezuelan process “without imposing destinies or amplifying differences.” He questioned the United States’ military action in the Caribbean Sea and rejected calls for military intervention.
Stalin González, the deputy elected to the National Assembly for Un Nuevo Tiempo, emphasized that “sovereignty is not only territorial; it is also the defense of people’s rights and quality of life.” In his speech, he emphasized that “politics is the art of making the impossible possible” and raised the need to build “inclusive and reliable development.” “We must work so that our nation, despite our differences, grows stronger,” he stated, reiterating his call for freedom for political prisoners.
From the union movement, Pablo Zambrano stated that “sovereignty also means respect for workers’ quality of life and the elimination of wage subsidies,” and insisted that the country’s democratic recovery requires restoring labor and social dignity.
The Secretary General of Avanzada Progresista, Luis Augusto Romero, stated that the event represents “a possibility for the reunion of democratic Venezuela” and called for “an immediate beginning of the reunion of the democratic opposition, overcoming differences and living alongside them.”
Journalist Vladimir Villegas called for “freedom for all political prisoners” and warned of the need to “break the cycle of the persecuted becoming persecutors,” referring to the importance of maintaining ethical coherence in the democratic struggle.
During the meeting, the liberation of political processes in Venezuela was also demanded, a gesture that drew applause and expressions of support from all sectors present. During the event, a video of detained former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez was shown. He had long called for peace and democratic coexistence, highlighting the need to rebuild trust among Venezuelans.
Various cases of political prisoners were also mentioned, highlighting the human dimension of those who have been deprived of their liberty for reasons of conscience or civic participation. This point generated one of the most emotional moments of the day.
For his part, the rector of the Central University of Venezuela, Víctor Rago, emphasized that holding the event at the UCV “reminds us that this university has people aware of the need to preserve spaces for discernment and democratic discussion.”
The event concluded with a shared message in favor of unity, negotiation and the defense of sovereignty, in a context where different sectors are seeking ways to come together to strengthen national coexistence and lay the foundations for a truly democratic Venezuela.
