Plea for action: A conversation with Venezuelan opposition leader Antonio Ledezma en Washington D.C.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Auditorium
1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036

Event Summary

On Wednesday, AEI and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas hosted an event featuring Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas and cofounder of the Soy Venezuela movement, to discuss the ongoing political, humanitarian, and economic crises in Venezuela.

Mr. Ledezma delivered opening remarks and spoke with AEI’s Roger F. Noriega on his experience living through Venezuela’s descent into hyperinflation, economic recession, and extreme corruption. He emphasized the scale of the many challenges his country faces and recounted the story of his politically motivated arrest in 2015 and his recent escape from house arrest. He also stressed the urgent necessity of unity among the Venezuelan opposition and citizens who want to liberate themselves from the Maduro regime. Mr. Ledezma thanked the international community and the United States for its continued strong support for restoring Venezuelan democracy.

The question and answer portion of the event touched on comparisons to political crises in Bolivia and Zimbabwe, the likelihood of the Maduro regime’s collapse, the effectiveness of US sanctions on key Venezuelan officials, and what form a transition in government in Venezuela might take.

–Kevin Reagan

Event Description

Thirty million Venezuelans are struggling to survive in a nation looted and crushed by the regime of President Nicolás Maduro. Many leaders of the splintered Venezuelan democratic opposition have been coopted, jailed, or forced into exile. Antonio Ledezma, the democratically elected mayor of Caracas, galvanizes a civic movement aimed at confronting the regime and rallying international sanctions to hasten democratic change. For the first time since recently escaping the country, he sheds new light on a society in collapse and suggests new recipes for action.

Join AEI and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas for a timely discussion with Mr. Ledezma on Venezuela’s daunting challenges.

El video de este evento puede verse,

http://www.aei.org/events/plea-for-action-a-conversation-with-venezuelan-opposition-leader-antonio-ledezma-cohosted-with-americas-societycouncil-of-the-americas/?utm_source=Paramount&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Noriega&utm_content=Follow%20Up