Political party Primero Justicia Party Justice First | Residence Caracas | |
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Other political
affiliations Democratic Unity Roundtable Alma mater Central University of Venezuela Known for Leading 2014 opposition student protests at UCV Education Central University of Venezuela Profiles | ||
Juan Requesens is a student leader at the Central University of Venezuela and a leader for student opposition protesters during the 2014 Venezuelan protests. He has led peaceful marches opposing the Government of Venezuela under President Nicolás Maduro hoping to start a larger movement of Venezuelans. He was elected Deputy of the National Assembly on December 6, 2015, and sworn in on January 5, 2016.
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Personal life
Juan Requesens' father is a doctor and his mother is an English teacher. His political idol is former president Rómulo Betancourt, who was the "father of Venezuelan democracy," and a close ally of United States President John F. Kennedy.
Campus politician
Requesens began his political endeavors while he was attending Central University of Venezuela (UCV). He attends UCV as a political science major and became the student council president in 2011. During his time as a UCV student leader, he used Twitter as a way to have student debates. He began demonstrations against the Venezuelan government in January 2013 when he helped organize a joint protest of students from Central University of Venezuela and Universidad Católica Andrés Bello.
2014 Venezuelan protests
The main demands of Requesens' movement was for the release of protesters who had been jailed, justice for protesters killed and allegedly tortured, and that if a meeting were to be held with President Maduro, that it would be broadcast live on television so they can speak directly to the people of Venezuela. He believes asking for the removal of President Nicolás Maduro is a "dead end" and that the “strategy of escalating confrontation will just give the government the chance to discredit us and continue with more repression”. Requesens' movement has been called more a more moderate approach than that of Leopoldo López Mendoza.