Leopoldo López
Venezuelan opposition leader and activist, former mayor of Chacao and former political prisoner. He is a co-founder of the political party Voluntad Popular and speaks about democracy and resistance to authoritarian rule.
Decentralized Tools Can Keep People Connected When Governments Shut Them Out
Venezuelan activist Leopoldo López argues that open-source, decentralized technology can give people more control over money, communication and information when governments or companies can restrict access. Drawing on his seven years as a political prisoner, he asks who holds the keys to the systems people rely on, citing examples from payments, journalism, internet access and AI.
Democratic Transitions in the Americas Depend on Public Ownership
Democratic transitions in the Americas risk losing legitimacy when security-first or externally coordinated roadmaps lack credible evidence that power will change hands and domestic political ownership. Leopoldo López argued that Venezuela needs visible steps toward a credible election and the dismantling of repressive institutions; OAS secretary general Albert Ramdin backed country-specific pathways that extend beyond elections to durable governance. Former Haitian foreign minister Dominique Dupuy warned that Haiti’s prolonged interim rule shows how transition plans can perpetuate exclusion when the public remains outside the political process.