Overview
- Hundreds of supporters in Caracas reopened El Bejucal on Saturday, a party headquarters that had remained closed since the contested July 2024 election that brought protests and about 2,400 detentions.
- National organizer Henry Alviárez, released in February after a period in detention, led the event and urged supporters to accompany union marches for higher wages through peaceful protest.
- María Corina Machado, who has stayed abroad since December, addressed the crowd by video and said the site should serve as a refuge for party members and other civic and political groups.
- Party leaders cast the reopening as a restart of day‑to‑day operations with a plan to seek institutional change, including new elections so voters can decide the country’s direction.
- The party says the building was targeted days after the 2024 vote when masked gunmen overpowered guards and took equipment and documents, underscoring the risks opposition groups report facing.