Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Blocked Despite International Ruling

The Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) announced on Monday that it will not comply with an Inter-American Court (IACH) ruling that opposition candidate Leopoldo Lopez be allowed to run for president in the 2012 elections.
Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Blocked Despite International Ruling
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez speaks during the Bureau of Democratic Unity meeting in Caracas, on September 26, 2010. (Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images)
10/17/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/126664097.jpg" alt="Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez speaks during the Bureau of Democratic Unity meeting in Caracas, on September 26, 2010.  (Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images)" title="Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez speaks during the Bureau of Democratic Unity meeting in Caracas, on September 26, 2010.  (Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1796261"/></a>
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez speaks during the Bureau of Democratic Unity meeting in Caracas, on September 26, 2010.  (Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images)

The Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) announced on Monday that it will not comply with an Inter-American Court (IACH) ruling that opposition candidate Leopoldo Lopez be allowed to run for president in the 2012 elections.

The charismatic 40-year-old Lopez, who served two terms as mayor of the city of Chacao between 2000 and 2008, is considered by many to be the main threat against Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez in the 2012 elections. 

Lopez stands accused of corruption but has not been tried, even less found guilty of any charges. Nevertheless, he was barred from seeking public office until 2014, and took his case to the IACH. 

The IACH is part of the Organization of American States (OAS), of which Venezuela is a member. According to OAS rules and the Venezuelan Constitution, IACH decisions are binding, yet the TSJ declared its decision “unenforceable.” 

Former Venezuelan UN Ambassador Milos Alcalay told Venezuelan newspaper El Universal that the ruling violates the constitution. 

“Agreements should be observed as they have been specially reached in the field of human rights,” he said. 

Harvard-educated Lopez wrote a piece for the Huffington Post about his experience of appearing before the IACH in March.

“Today was the first time throughout this entire process—and I do not say this with joy, but rather with disappointment—that I was given the opportunity to speak with truly independent judges. I was never permitted to do so in a Venezuelan court,” he wrote, adding that he hoped this was the last time he would have to seek justice outside his own country.

Lopez is not the only opposition candidate in Venezuela who has met with obstacles in his attempts to challenge Chavez’s power. According to an Oct. 11 article on pro-Chavez news site venezuelananalysis.com, polls show a secure lead for Chavez against all the major contenders.

Against Lopez, Chavez has 54.1 percent compared to 33.7 percent, with 12.2 percent undecided, the article said. 

The Lopez camp has yet to comment on the TSJ decision. As of Monday evening, no comment was found on his official website. According to El Universal, Lopez plans to make an official statement on Tuesday.