PRD president Miguel Vargas Maldonado, warned yesterday, Monday 28 January that he would once again summon the National Executive Committee (CEN), but that this time they would respond “with the same money” as the armed mob that violently invaded the previous day’s meeting. Vargas stated that the PRD lawyers are gathering the evidence in order to seek the arrest and arraignment of the ringleaders of the violent incidents, in violation of the statutes and the Penal Code.
He said that on Sunday, 27 January, in order to prevent a bloodbath, they preferred to be restrained and did not confront the mob that entered the party HQ, but that they would have special security on hand at the next meeting. He said that he has communicated with the Ministry of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo, and appointed a commission to demand that the PRD headquarters, currently in the custody of the National Police, should be handed back to the party authorities.
He criticized the National Police for failing to act when a group of people broke into the PRD headquarters and the CEN members felt unprotected. He told reporters that he has not refused mediation by the Catholic Church because he believes it is one of the most effective instruments for dialogue, but that any conversations should be conditional on respect for PRD organs, the Superior Electoral Tribunal, institutional decisions and the party statutes.