Venezuelan congressman regrets attempts at manipulation by counterparts

National Assembly (AN) deputy for pro-government Podemos party Juan José Molina, lamented on Friday the position taken by his counterparts who represented the Venezuelan government at the Mercosur Parliament on a hearing afforded to Chacao Mayor Leopoldo López last Monday. Molina feels that the Venezuelan government did not give clear answers to Mercosur Senators concerning the method used to bar people from elected public office. Molina said during a press conference that the Venezuelan congresspersons, particularly AN Vice-President Saúl Ortega, have tried to 'manipulate' the public opinion as to what really happened. During the hearing, Mayor López brought up the issue of his banning, who prevented him from running for the Caracas Mayoralty in the local election to be held next November. Molina claimed that the deputies representing Venezuela at Mercosur just demeaned López; they failed to make sound allegations and said instead, that he was a 'coupster, imperialist.'