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Gang rivalry may be responsible for killing of Venezuela's local opposition leader

Xinhua, November 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Rivalry between criminal gangs may have been responsible for the killing of a local opposition leader, the state-run Venezuelan News Agency (AVN) said Thursday.

The death of Luis Manuel Diaz, secretary of the Democratic Action (AD) party, in the central state of Guarico "has all the markings of rivalry between criminal gangs in the state with close ties to parties that make up the Democratic Unity Roundtable," the AVN said.

The Roundtable, known by its Spanish acronym MUD, is a coalition of right-wing parties that oppose the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Diaz was killed late Wednesday at a campaign rally for the Dec. 6 legislative elections, and the head of the AD immediately denounced the PSUV via Twitter for his death, according to the AVN.

Hours after the incident was revealed, the head of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro "called for a suspension of the parliamentary elections," the Venezuelan TV network Telesur reported.

In contrast, Ernesto Samper, head of the regional integration bloc the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), endorsed the elections, saying that "the best way to combat violence in Venezuela's elections is massively voting against those who are violent on Dec. 6."

Diaz was the leader of a local gang known as Los Plateados.

He "had received death threats, according to his family," the AVN said, adding "the presumed motive (for the killing) is vengeance for control of the zone." Endi