Back in Caracas after his trip to Washington — to attend the State of the Union speech — opposition leader Enrique Márquez spoke for the first time about his release, under the protection of the recently approved amnesty law. He harshly criticized the Chavista regime and established a position on the political moment that the country is going through.
Márquez supported the process that began on January 3 after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and offered to support the opening phase in progress. He demanded the continuation of political guarantees, the full restoration of freedom of expression and respect for constitutional rights. He also expressed his willingness to support any agreement that opens the floodgates towards a democratic transition.
The leader, a social democrat with a moderate line who has privileged dialogue in the struggles with Chavismo, said in a press conference held in a hotel in Caracas that the amnesty law I am not one of those who criticize the good because they continue to dream of the ideal. The law is progress and we welcome it. We will continue fighting so that all rights are achieved,” he stated. He also expressed his support for the new legislation on oil matters approved by the National Assembly and indicated that he is willing to accompany Delcy Rodríguez in what he considers appropriate, as long as it contributes to reconciliation and democracy.
Asked about Nicolás Maduro, he was severe: “They insisted on suppressing the country’s political and economic freedoms when everyone was asking them for rectifications. By clinging to power, Maduro has created chaos, misery, backwardness and migration.” He also dedicated harsh words to whom he held responsible for the excesses and humiliations against political prisoners and the violations of the population’s rights. “He is a gray character who works in the darkness,” he said.
Regarding the electoral scenario, he maintained that the July 2024 elections “fulfilled their role” and that the country “At this point everyone accepts that there have to be new elections here,” he stated, in line with what international spokespersons such as Marco Rubio have pointed out.
Márquez recognized the role that the United States is playing in the Venezuelan crisis and reported that he received Trump’s invitation to Washington with surprise. He also assured that the United States has full understanding of the country’s situation, as well as what must be done to improve the social, political and economic crisis, which is why he considered it a “great ally” for the future of Venezuela. “I am going to be very discreet with the comments I have to make regarding the conversations I had there,” said Márquez, three days after attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech in Washington.
The opponent assured that he has not held conversations with María Corina Machado and stated that, although he does not have presidential aspirations at this time, he does not rule out that he would like to take on that challenge in the future.
Later, when referring to his time in prison, under the Chavista regime. He reported that, after his arrest in January of last year, he was handcuffed for hours and remained missing for several days. He said that police officers entered his house and violated his belongings, and that he spent months incommunicado without knowing the formal reasons for his arrest. “In prison, our refuge was prayer,” he said.
Márquez was arrested in January 2025 and released five days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US military forces following an attack on Caracas and three other nearby regions.
The leader assured that he knew of cases of inmates in conditions even worse than his own, in prisons such as Tocorón and El Rodeo. “Forgotten prisoners, innocent people, collateral damage of repression. People who cannot report because they are threatened with being transferred to prisons worse than El Helicoide. State workers, union leaders, workers, ordinary citizens who denounced acts of corruption, persecuted social leaders. Their lives are going away in prison. It is hard to see so much injustice. I advocate for the freedom of all of them,” he said. He also denounced evictions and expropriations against families of political prisoners.
Márquez assured that he does not hold personal grudges or resentments against those who promoted his arrest. He insisted on the need for national reunion based on truth and reparation, and reiterated his willingness to play an active role in a struggle whose final outcome has yet to be defined. “We will have to fight much harder to achieve our goal. This is not over, it is just beginning. No one is going to do the remaining work for us.”
