Foundation
On December 5, 2009, at the Forum in Valencia, in front of more than 10,000 activists, Voluntad Popular was presented for the first time.
Voluntad popular
Voluntad Popular is the vanguard party of progressive, democratic, and pluralist political thought, committed to overcoming poverty through peace and democracy, and achieving all rights for all people.
Voluntad Popular was born in mid-2009 as a social movement made up of emerging political leaders, student movements, social movements, non-governmental organizations, and social networks.
Throughout 2010, we dedicated ourselves to building and strengthening the movement in every state and in the country’s most important municipalities. On January 14, 2011, Divina Pastora day, the National Electoral Council announced the formal acceptance of Voluntad Popular as a political party. The following day, as an unprecedented event, we called on all Venezuelans to participate in open elections to choose the party’s national, regional, municipal, and parochial leaders. On July 10, 2011, Voluntad Popular’s internal elections were held with 172,000 voters who voted for more than 8,500 candidates for 2,500 party seats.
Joining the Democratic Unity Roundtable
In August 2011, Voluntad Popular joined the Democratic Unity Table (Mesa de la Unidad Democrática). There, it proposed the innovative ideas of primary elections, a single card, a unified command and a single programmatic proposal for the country. These ideas initially clashed with the traditional political establishment, but finally won popular support, transforming the way of doing politics in Venezuela.
On February 12, 2012, Voluntad Popular participated in the Democratic Unity primary elections, after Leopoldo Lopez decided to support the candidacy of Henrique Capriles Radonski, putting the interests of the country before any other; as well as for the presidential elections of October 7, 2012 and April 14, 2013, taking a decisive step in the consolidation of Democratic Unity. After the results of the 2013 presidential elections, we firmly agree with the allegations of irregularities in the electoral process presented by Democratic Unity, and defend the idea that peaceful protests and the active organization of citizens as the fundamental tool in achieving the political change that the country needs.
Voluntad Popular has remained firm in the defense of all the rights and spaces legitimately acquired by Democratic Unity, such as the National Assembly, which is led by Juan Guaido and is the only national institution recognized by more than 50 countries internationally.
We are convinced that today in Venezuela the democratic system and the liberties of each venezuelan are at stake, this is due to the government being illegitimate in its origin, illegitimate in its performance, and dedicated to persecuting venezuelans who think differently. In Voluntad Popular, we will not rest until we achieve our dream, our commitment: La Mejor Venezuela, a country where all rights are for all people.
