Leopoldo López Politician
Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza is a Venezuelan politician, currently serving as National Coordinator of Venezuelan political party Voluntad Popular, which he founded in 2009. Born in Caracas on 29 April 1971, he received a degree in Sociology and Economics from Kenyon College, and later Master of Public Policy from Harvard University. Lopez first ventured into politics in 2000 when he co-founded the political party Primero Justicia alongside Henrique Capriles Radonski and Julio Borges, and ran successfully for the mayorship of the Chacao Municipality in the regional elections held in July 2000. Lopez has received multiple awards for his honesty, efficiency, transparency and for his support of democracy.In 2004, Lopez was disqualified from holding public office for 6 years (beginning in 2008, at the completion of his term as mayor), as a result of administrative sanctions imposed by Venezuela's Comptroller's Office following due to alleged corruption. Lopez was never charged with a crime, tried, or allowed to rebutt the allegations. Lopez sued Venezuela and his case was reviewed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which issued a unanimous ruling in his favor. However, the Venezuelan government refused to abide by the court ruling.López, who called for peaceful protests in 2014, was arrested on 18 February under charges of arson, terrorism, and homicide. His trial is ongoing. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and numerous former presidents have called for his immediate release and protested the nature of the charges against Lopez. Since his arrest, López has become the most popular politician in Venezuela, with an approval rating near 50% compared to President Maduro's rating below 30%.
