Democratic Unity Roundtable

{{Short description|Political coalition of Venezuelan opposition parties}}

{{Expand Spanish|topic=gov|Mesa de la Unidad Democrática|date=July 2017}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = Democratic Unity Roundtable

| native_name = Mesa de la Unidad Democrática

| colorcode = #0F52BA

| logo = UNIDAD Venezuela logo.svg

| general_secretary =

| first_secretary =

| foundation = {{Start date and age|2008|1|23|df=yes}}

| dissolved = {{Start date and age|2021|4|21|df=yes}}{{cn|date=March 2024}}

| successor = Unitary Platform

| headquarters =

| colors = {{Color box|#FFCC00|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#00247D|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|#CF142B|border=darkgray}} (Venezuelan national colors)
{{Color box|#0F52BA|border=darkgray}} Blue (customary)

| national =

| international =

| ideology = Liberal democracy
Anti-Chavism{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2015/12/07/actualidad/1449484635_471219.html|title = ¿Quiénes forman en Venezuela la Mesa de Unidad Democrática?|newspaper = El País|date = 7 December 2015|last1 = Meza|first1 = Alfredo}}
Factions:
Christian democracy
Social democracy{{cite book|last1=Fernández Álvarez|first1=Ángel|title=Salvemos Venezuela|date=29 April 2018|quote=And that, the truth, is a latent risk because the only thing that appears until now, is the plan of the social-democratic parties united in the so-called MUD.}}
Social liberalism{{cite news|title=Ante la situación en Venezuela ¿Podrá continuar la MUD sin definir un líder?|url=http://www.miamidiario.com/politica/venezuela/chavismo/mesa-de-la-unidad-democratica/candidatos/377500|access-date=29 April 2018|work=MiamiDiario|date=8 March 2017|language=es|quote=the Democratic Unity Table (MUD), when it was formed as the coalition of the opposition parties of Venezuela, to face the government of the late Hugo Chávez. But it has been a difficult path that has transited until now, because they converge 20 parties ranging from social democracy to liberalism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430114114/http://www.miamidiario.com/politica/venezuela/chavismo/mesa-de-la-unidad-democratica/candidatos/377500|archive-date=30 April 2018|url-status=dead}}
Progressivism
Economic liberalism

| position = {{nowrap|Centre{{cref|A}}{{cite news|title=AFP: La oposición venezolana, un bloque contra Maduro dividido y debilitado|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/oposicion/afp-oposicion-venezolana-bloque-contra-maduro-dividido-debilitado_209333|access-date=30 April 2018|work=El Nacional|date=26 October 2017|language=es|quote=Gathered in the Democratic Unity Table (MUD), which was born in 2008 to confront President Hugo Chávez, the opposition includes center, center-left, left parties and dissidents of Chavismo}}}}

| website = [http://unidadvenezuela.org/ unidadvenezuela.org]

| country = Venezuela

| footnotes = {{cnote|A|MUD includes a few centre-left and centre-right parties as well.}}

}}

The Democratic Unity Roundtable ({{langx|es|Mesa de la Unidad Democrática}}, MUD) was a catch-all electoral coalition of Venezuelan political parties formed in January 2008 to unify the opposition to President Hugo Chávez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela in the 2010 Venezuelan parliamentary election.{{cite web|url=http://www.noticiasve.com/partidos-de-oposicion-conforman-mesa-de-la-unidad-democratica/|title=Partidos de oposición conforman Mesa de la Unidad Democrática|publisher=Noticiasve.com|access-date=2010-08-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825075629/http://www.noticiasve.com/partidos-de-oposicion-conforman-mesa-de-la-unidad-democratica/|archive-date=2010-08-25}} A previous opposition umbrella group, the Coordinadora Democrática, had collapsed after the failure of the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum.

The coalition was made of primarily centrist and centre-left parties.{{Not in source given|date=December 2023|reason=the source, El Radical, describes it as a coalition of centrist, centre left, AND "opponents to chavismo", which also includes liberals and the right. The article body itself lists the largest and dominating party in the block as a "centre right" party. It seems to be a very broad church. Leaving this tag because I don't know enough about the topic to provide an accurate characterization, but the current one appears to be supported neither by the one source given (also: how objective is this source?) nor the article body itself.}} The main components were Democratic Action and Copei, the two parties who dominated Venezuelan politics from 1959 to 1999. Since the 2013 Venezuelan presidential election, Justice First became the largest opposition party, and Henrique Capriles Radonski became the leader of the opposition.

In the 2015 parliamentary election, the coalition became the largest group in the National Assembly with 112 out of 167 (a supermajority), ending sixteen years of PSUV rule of the country's unicameral parliament. In the 2017 Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election, the MUD boycotted the election, and as the National Assembly itself lost most of its power, PSUV retook its parliamentary majority.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN18424I|title=Venezuela opposition boycotts meeting on Maduro assembly, clashes rage|newspaper=Reuters|date=8 May 2017|access-date=19 August 2017}}

In July 2018, Democratic Action, one of the largest and most distinguished parties of the MUD, said they will leave the coalition.{{Cite news|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/ramos-allup-confirmo-salida-accion-democratica-mud_242810|title=Ramos Allup: No vamos a construir ninguna otra plataforma|date=2018-07-05|work=El Nacional|access-date=2018-07-06|language=es}}

File:Logo (Electoral Card) Democratic Unity Roundtable.png

Overview

The MUD was formally launched on 23 January 2008 and restructured on 8 June 2009.{{in lang|es}} [http://www.eluniversal.com/2008/01/24/pol_art_candidatos-unitarios_684760.shtml Candidatos unitarios ya tienen acuerdo de país para campaña] El Universal. 24 de enero de 2008. In June 2009 MUD included 11 political parties, and was led by Luis Ignacio Planas, President of Copei. By April 2010 the MUD included around 50 political parties, of which 16 were national in scope (the rest regional), and had support from some other social organisations and opinion groups. The main parties included in MUD are Democratic Action and Copei, the two parties who dominated Venezuelan politics from 1959 to 1999; the dissenting left-wing parties Movement for Socialism, Radical Cause and Red Flag Party; and more recently established parties Project Venezuela, A New Era, Justice First and For Social Democracy ("PODEMOS").

The MUD was supported by the Movimiento 2D opposition movement led by El Nacional editor and proprietor Miguel Henrique Otero.

Ramón Guillermo AveledoRamón Guillermo Aveledo, 9 March 2012, [http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2012/03/09/venezuela_opposition_is_winning__99946.htmlVenezuela's Opposition Is Winning] {{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} served as the MUD's Executive Secretary from March 2009 to July 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://noticiaaldia.com/2014/08/aveledo-revela-por-que-renuncio-habla-de-la-confianza-rota-y-ratifica-que-no-retomara-el-cargo-en-la-mud/|title=Aveledo revela por qué renunció a la MUD y ratifica que no volverá al cargo|date=6 August 2014|access-date=27 September 2014|website=Noticia al Día}}

The journalist Jesús "Chúo" Torrealba became the coalition's current Executive Secretary in September 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/256642/mud-ofrecera-rueda-de-prensa-para-dar-a-conocer-decision-sobre-la-secretaria-ejecutiva/|title=Chúo Torrealba aceptó la secretaría ejecutiva de la MUD y anunció "gran acto de calle"|date=24 September 2014|access-date=27 September 2014|publisher=Noticias24.com|archive-date=27 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927062211/http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/256642/mud-ofrecera-rueda-de-prensa-para-dar-a-conocer-decision-sobre-la-secretaria-ejecutiva/|url-status=dead}}

The MUD declared common ideological points between its members in its National Unity Agreement. They support autonomy of State institutions. Furthermore, its members represent and foster ideological pluralism within the democratic Left. MUD supports freedom of work, property, press, and free education. It advocates decentralize power and federalization. It also promotes public security, defense of private property and economic freedoms, quality education, job creation, and job creation and fair distribution of income from national oil reserves. The MUD wants a foreign policy based on solidarity, especially Venezuela's neighbors. It also wants various policies to make Venezuela more democratic, especially in regards to reducing the institutional influence of the military and reforming electoral laws.

In early September 2012, David De Lima, a former governor of Anzoategui, published a document he said showed secret MUD plans to implement much more neoliberal policy, if elected, than their public statements showed. De Lima said the document was a form of policy pact between some of the candidates in the MUD primary, including Capriles.{{in lang|es}} Últimas Noticias, 6 September 2012, [http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/aseguran-que-capriles-r--tiene-un-plan-distinto-al.aspx Aseguran que Capriles R. tiene un plan distinto al que dice] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201064930/http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/aseguran-que-capriles-r--tiene-un-plan-distinto-al.aspx |date=1 February 2016 }} On 6 September 2012, opposition legislator William Ojeda denounced these plans and the "neoliberal obsessions" of his colleagues in the MUD;{{in lang|es}} Últimas Noticias, 6 September 2012, [http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/unt--ojeda--se-puso-al-margen--de-este-partido.aspx UNT: Ojeda "se puso al margen" de este partido] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201064930/http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/politica/unt--ojeda--se-puso-al-margen--de-este-partido.aspx |date=1 February 2016 }} he was suspended by his A New Era party the following day.{{in lang|es}} El Tiempo, 7 September 2012, [http://eltiempo.com.ve/venezuela/politica/unt-suspendio-a-william-ojeda-tras-criticar-supuesto-paquete-de-la-mud/64484 UNT suspendió a William Ojeda tras criticar supuesto "paquete" de la MUD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201064931/http://eltiempo.com.ve/venezuela/politica/unt-suspendio-a-william-ojeda-tras-criticar-supuesto-paquete-de-la-mud/64484 |date=1 February 2016 }} One small coalition party claimed De Lima had offered them money to withdraw from the MUD;{{in lang|es}} Últimas Noticias, 11 September 2012, [http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/denuncian-que-de-lima-pago-a-partidos-para-retirar.aspx Denuncian que De Lima pagó a partidos para retirar apoyo a HCR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201064930/http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/denuncian-que-de-lima-pago-a-partidos-para-retirar.aspx |date=1 February 2016 }} De Lima denied the claim.{{in lang|es}} Últimas Noticias, 12 September 2012, [http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/de-lima-niega-haber-ofrecido-dinero-a-partidos-min.aspx De Lima niega haber ofrecido dinero a partidos minoritarios] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201064930/http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/tuvoto/noticiaselectorales/de-lima-niega-haber-ofrecido-dinero-a-partidos-min.aspx |date=1 February 2016 }}

2010 legislative elections

In April 2010 the MUD held primaries in 15 electoral districts, with 361,000 voters participating, and selecting 22 candidates (the remaining 143 candidates were chosen "by consensus"). The candidates chosen included María Corina Machado (of Súmate) and Iván Simonovis, one of nine police officials allegedly serving time for participating in the alleged 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt. Several others of the nine, regarded by the MUD as political prisoners, were also nominated, in districts with a real chance of opposition success; winning would require their release because of parliamentary immunity. Manuel Rosales, the opposition's candidate in the 2006 Venezuelan presidential election and now in exile in Peru due to corruption charges (which Rosales denies), was also nominated.IPS News, 27 April 2010, [http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51218 Opposition Plans Return to Venezuelan Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710072726/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51218 |date=10 July 2010 }}

In the September 2010 election for the National Assembly of Venezuela the MUD won around 47% of the vote nationally; however, it only gained 64 seats (out of 165) due to changes in population-vote distribution introduced by the incumbent national assembly that had a government party supermajority. In the same elections, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 48% of the vote and 98 seats, while the Patria Para Todos (PPT) party got only 2 seats.[http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/27/venezuela.elections/index.html?iref=allsearch]"In Venezuela, the electoral system is set up in a way that favors the majority party as well as rural votes more than urban votes. Chavez counts on support from the over-represented rural areas. The system means that even if the opposition won at least half of the votes, it would actually seat considerably fewer than half of the parliament.". Notable new deputies included María Corina Machado and Enrique Mendoza.

2012 presidential election

The MUD held an open primary election on 12 February 2012.{{cite news |url= http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/primarias-2012/120212/henrique-capriles-wins-opposition-primaries-in-venezuela |title= Henrique Capriles wins opposition primaries in Venezuela |author= de la Rosa, Alicia|date= 12 February 2012 |work= El Universal |access-date=2012-02-20}} Henrique Capriles Radonski won the opposition primaries with 1,900,528 (64.2%) votes of the 3,059,024 votes cast (votes abroad not included).{{cite news |url= http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/primarias-2012/120214/a-total-of-3040449-votes-were-cast-in-opposition-primary-election |title= A total of 3,040,449 votes were cast in opposition primary election|work=El Universal|date=13 February 2012|access-date=2012-02-20}} The other candidates on the 12 February 2012 primary ballot were:

Pablo Pérez Álvarez: governor of Zulia state, representing the A New Era party; received 30.3% of the vote.
María Corina Machado: former Súmate president and member of the National Assembly of Venezuela representing the Miranda state since 2011; received 3.7% of the vote.
Diego Arria: former Venezuelan representative to the United Nations (1990–91) and former governor of the defunct Federal District (1974–78); received 1.3% of the vote.
Pablo Medina: politician and former trade union leader, supported by the trade unions; received 0.5% of the vote.

2015 legislative elections

File:FG UNIDAD 06.12.2015.jpg

{{Main|Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2015#Democratic Unity}}In December 2015, MUD won 112 of the 167 seats in the National Assembly, a two-thirds supermajority.{{Cite news|title = Venezuela's Opposition Secures Supermajority Against Ruling Party|url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-opposition-says-it-has-supermajority-1449588494|newspaper = Wall Street Journal|access-date = 2015-12-09|issn = 0099-9660|first1 = Kejal|last1 = Vyas|first2 = David|last2 = Luhnow}}

Member parties

class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"

!colspan="2"| Party name

!Acronym

!Leader

!Main ideology

!Seats in the AN

!International Associations

bgcolor=#FFD700|

|Justice First
Primero Justicia

|align=center|PJ

|Henrique Capriles Radonski

|Humanism

|{{Composition bar|33|167|hex=#FFD700}}

|None

bgcolor=#003399|

|A New Era
Un Nuevo Tiempo

|align=center|UNT

|Manuel Rosales

|Social democracy

|{{Composition bar|18|167|hex=#003399}}

|Socialist International

bgcolor=orange|

|Popular Will
Voluntad Popular

|align=center|VP

|Leopoldo López

|Progressivism
Social democracy

|{{Composition bar|14|167|hex=orange}}

|Socialist International

bgcolor=#1E90FF|

|Radical Cause
La Causa Radical

|align=center|LCR

|Andrés Velásquez

|Labourism

|{{Composition bar|4|167|hex=#1E90FF}}

|None

bgcolor=#0000FF|

|{{ill|Progressive Movement of Venezuela|es|Movimiento Progresista de Venezuela}}
Movimiento Progresista de Venezuela

|align=center|MPV

|Simón Calzadilla

|Progressivism

|{{Composition bar|4|167|hex=#0000FF}}

|None

bgcolor=#FFFF00|

|Project Venezuela
Proyecto Venezuela

|align=center|PRVZL

|Henrique Salas Feo

|Liberal conservatism

|{{Composition bar|2|167|hex=#FFFF00}}

|IDU, UPLA

bgcolor=#E0852B|

|{{ill|Clear Accounts|es|Cuentas Claras}}
Cuentas Claras

|align=center|CC

|Vicencio Scarano

|Progressivism

|{{Composition bar|2|167|hex=#E0852B}}

|None

bgcolor=#0000FF|

|Progressive Advance
Avanzada Progresista

|align=center|AP

|Henri Falcón

|Democratic socialism{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

|{{Composition bar|2|167|hex=#E0852B}}

|None

bgcolor=#4B0082|

|Fearless People's Alliance
Alianza Bravo Pueblo

|align=center|ABP

|Antonio Ledezma

|Social democracy

|{{Composition bar|1|167|hex=#4B0082}}

|None

bgcolor=#FF4500|

|{{ill|Emergent People|es|Gente Emergente (Venezuela)}}
Gente Emergente

|align=center|GE

|{{ill|Julio César Reyes|es}}

|Social democracy

|{{Composition bar|1|167|hex=#FF4500}}

|None

bgcolor=#00FF00|

|National Convergence
Convergencia Nacional

|align=center|CN

|{{ill|Juan José Caldera|es}}

|Christian democracy

|{{Composition bar|0|167|hex=#00FF00}}

|ODCA (observer)

bgcolor=green|

|Movement for a Responsible, Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Venezuela
Movimiento por una Venezuela Responsable, Sostenible y Emprendedora

|align=center|MOVERSE

|Alexis Romero

|Green politics

|{{Composition bar|0|167|hex=green}}

|None

bgcolor=green|

|Ecological Movement of Venezuela
Movimiento Ecológico de Venezuela

|align=center|MOVEV

|Manuel Díaz

|Green politics

|{{Composition bar|0|167|hex=green}}

|Global Greens

=Former member parties=

The Christian democratic Copei party was not a member of the coalition in the 2015 parliamentary election, despite having been a founding member of the MUD.

The Communist Red Flag Party was a member of the coalition and supported the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski in the 2012 presidential election, but due to different objectives, the Red Flag Party stepped out of the MUD.{{cite news|title=Bandera Roja se separa de la MUD|url=http://noticiaaldia.com/2014/09/bandera-roja-se-separa-de-la-mud/|editor=Noticia al Dia|access-date=7 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907083940/http://noticiaaldia.com/2014/09/bandera-roja-se-separa-de-la-mud/|archive-date=7 September 2014|url-status=dead}}

In August 2017, Come Venezuela left the Democratic Unity Roundtable over a disagreement regarding electoral participation.{{Cite web|url=https://es.panampost.com/orlando-avendano/2017/08/10/vente-venezuela-abandona-coalicion-opositora-mud-elecciones-regionales-son-un-salvavidas-para-maduro/|title=Vente Venezuela abandona coalición opositora MUD: "Elecciones regionales son un salvavidas para Maduro"|date=2017-08-10|website=PanAm Post|language=es|access-date=2020-03-22}}

In July 2018, the social democratic Democratic Action left the Democratic Unity Roundtable.{{Cite news|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/ramos-allup-confirmo-salida-accion-democratica-mud_242810|title=Ramos Allup confirmó la salida de Acción Democrática de la MUD|date=2018-07-05|work=El Nacional|access-date=2018-07-06|language=es}}

Electoral results

=Presidential elections=

Election year ! Name ! # of overall votes ! % of overall vote
class=wikitable
rowspan=2\|2012 \| Henrique Capriles \| 6,591,304 \| 44.31 (#2)
colspan="3" \| Member of Justice First party in coalition. Lost.
rowspan=2\|2013 \| Henrique Capriles \| 7,363,980 \| 49.12 (#2)
colspan="3" \| Member of Justice First party in coalition. Lost.

=Parliamentary elections=

class=wikitable

Election year

!# of
overall votes

!% of
overall vote

!# of
overall seats won

!+/–

!Leader

2010

|5,334,309 (#2)

|47.2%

|{{Composition bar|67|165|hex=#0F52BA}}

|{{center|–}}

|{{center|Ramón Guillermo Aveledo}}

2015{{Cite web|title = :: Consejo Nacional Electoral|url = http://www.cne.gob.ve/web/sala_prensa/noticia_detallada.php?id=3429|website = www.cne.gob.ve|access-date = 2015-12-09}}

|7,707,422 (#1)

|56.3%

|{{Composition bar|109|167|hex=#0F52BA}}

|{{center|{{increase}} 32}}

|{{center|Jesús Torrealba}}