According to the organization's own Website, Queremos Elegir (We Want to Choose or We Want to Vote) is a member organization of the opposition umbrella organization Alianza Cívica Venezolana (Venezuelan Civic Alliance) (Queremos Elegir 1 Oct. 2003a). Queremos Elegir was founded in 1991 by a group of persons who belonged to various organizations and were seeking to consolidate democracy in Venezuela (1 Oct. 2003a). By 1993 it had brought forward proposals for political reform, in a document backed by 86,000 signatures (ibid.). The group has been involved in a number of activities, including a public consultation process in 1996 on electoral reform, lobbying before the Constitutional Assembly (ibid.), and attempts to enable Venezuelan citizens overseas to register and be able to vote (ibid.). Most recently, Queremos Elegir had a public workshop scheduled for 4 October 2003, on the norms governing a referendum (ibid. 1 Oct. 2003b).

The group lists among its leadership the following persons: Humberto Calderon Berti, spokesperson and foreign affairs committee coordinator; Alberto Lopez Oliver, coordinator of the electoral advisory committee; Elias Santana, coordinator of the sub-committee of Overseas Venezuelans' Affairs; and Carlos Armando Figueredo, member of the sub-committee of Overseas Venezuelans' Affairs (ibid. 1 Oct. 2003a).

Queremos Elegir also lists, besides its offices in Caracas, contact persons in Barquisimeto, Maracaibo, Valencia and Puerto La Cruz, as well as contact persons abroad, in Madrid and New York (ibid. 2003b).

An April 2002 news article names Elias Santana as the head of Queremos Elegir in Caracas, who reportedly showed up at a meeting of white-collar workers of the state oil company to support their strike (IPS 5 Apr. 2002).

A search of electronic archives of the Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, TSJ) indicated at least 48 records of Queremos Elegir involvement in legal proceedings before the TSJ (Google 1 Oct. 2003). The most recent records include references to Queremos Elegir's attempt to annul a number of articles from a law on changes to government; however, the legal action was dismissed by a court on 15 March 2002 (TSJ 15 Mar. 2002).

In May 2002, the courts received a legal recourse from Elias Santana and other members of Queremos Elegir, challenging the constitutionality of a law regulating the appointment of judges (ibid. 23 May 2002). The courts issued a sentence on this case in December 2002 declaring that the recourse had expired (ibid. 3 Dec. 2002).

Also in December 2002, the TSJ reported receiving an individual lawyer's constitutional recourse (amparo) against three groups, including the Democratic Coordinator, of which Queremos Elegir is a member (ibid. 23 Dec. 2002; ibid. 19 May 2003). In May 2003, a judge issued a sentence in which he reportedly declared himself unable to hear the constitutional recourse (ibid.).

Although recent references to violence or harassment against political opposition activists in Venezuela is reported in VEN41804.FE of 30 July 2003 and earlier Responses, reports referring to risks which individual members of Queremos Elegir specifically might face could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. The organization in question was not contacted within the constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Google. 1 October 2003. Searched pages from www.tsj.gov.ve for "Queremos Elegir". http://www.google.ca [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

Inter Press Service (IPS). Jose Zambrano. 5 April 2002. "Labor-Venezuela: Oil Conflict May Pave Way for General Strike." (NEXIS)

Queremos Elegir, Caracas. 1 October 2003a. "La Coordinadora Democrática visita el CNE." http://www.queremoselegir.org/detalle.asp?ID=485 [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 1 October 2003b. "Agenda de Eventos." http://www.queremoselegir.org/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 2003a. "Iniciativas." http://www.queremoselegir.org/iniciativas.asp [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 2003b. "Contáctanos." http://www.queremoselegir.org/contacto.asp [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ), Caracas. 19 May 2003. "Cuenta No. 92." http://www.tsj.gov.ve/cuentas/scon/2003/cuentascon-19052003.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 23 December 2002. "Cuenta No. 248." http://www.tsj.gov.ve/cuentas/scon/2002/cuentascon-23122002.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 3 December 2002. "Cuenta No. 234." http://www.tsj.gov.ve/cuentas/scon/2002/cuentascon-03122002.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 23 May 2002. "Cuenta No. 97." http://www.tsj.gov.ve/cuentas/scon/2002/cuentascon-23052002.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

_____. 15 March 2002. "Cuenta No. 51." "Cuenta No. 92." http://www.tsj.gov.ve/cuentas/scon/2002/cuentascon-15032002.htm [Accessed 1 Oct. 2003]

IRB Databases

Latin America Weekly Report [London]. Apr. 2002-Sept. 2003

Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. Apr. 2002-Sept. 2003

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. April 2002-Sept. 2003

Internet sites and search engines, including:

Vheadlines, Caracas