Venezuelan former presidential hopeful urges unity after prison release and Maduro’s ouster

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan politician Enrique Márquez, who spent more than a year in prison after challenging the 2024 presidential election results, on Friday called on the country’s political opposition and the ruling party to take advantage of the circumstances forced by the ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro and work together for the country’s recovery.

Márquez’s plea to “lock up egos in a drawer” followed his surprise appearance during U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this week. Márquez was released from prison in the days after the U.S. military captured Maduro in Venezuela’s capital and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

“We have been killing each other in a relentless political war,” Márquez said during a news conference that at times seemed like the kick-off of a campaign. “If we don’t break the rearview mirror and look ahead, we won’t find our way.”

Márquez ran for president in the 2024 contest, where the ruling party-loyal National Electoral Council declared Maduro winner despite ample credible evidence that he had lost to opposition candidate Edmundo González. Márquez challenged the council’s decision, asking the country’s high court to nullify the results it presented.

Márquez, a former member of the National Electoral Council, was detained in January 2025. He told reporters Friday that he spent his first seven days in detention handcuffed and was interrogated around the clock. He remained incommunicado for 10 months, three of which he was kept from getting sunlight.

Authorities detained him on charges of terrorism, hatred and treason. He said he never faced trial for the trumped up charges, eventually receiving amnesty after acting President Delcy Rodríguez earlier this month signed into law a measure allowing it.

Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president following Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3. Márquez lauded her decision to push for an amnesty law and an overhaul of Venezuela’s oil industry since assuming her new role. He also acknowledged he has not spoken with opposition leader María Corina Machado since he was released from a prison were human rights watchdogs have extensively documented torture and other abuses against detainees.

He sidestepped questions over whether he would run for president again but said he does not see an election taking place soon.

“My intention is to become a unifying force,” he said of potentially being a bridge between the opposition and the ruling party. “The role I want to play, and hope to be able to play, is that of a builder, helping to build the future.”

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