FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

59 ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS The Broseta Foundation presents THE 24TH COEXISTENCE AWARD TO EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ AND MARÍA CORINA MACHADO AT A CEREMONY IN THE SENATE On 13 July, the Professor Manuel Broseta Foundation presented the 34th Coexistence Award to Venezuelan diplomat Edmundo González in the Spanish Senate’s historic plenary chamber. The honour was also awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, absent from the ceremony, by a jury chaired by former minister Jordi Sevilla, which recognised in both “a peaceful path to change and transformation in Venezuela”. He argued that study, effort, sacrifice and discipline must form the foundations of a society aspiring to progress, stressing that education remains the great vehicle for social mobility, enabling anyone to develop their talent regardless of bac- kground. He cited his own career as an example of how merit and dedication allowed him to reach the highest state responsibilities through competitive pu- blic examinations. The President of the Professor Manuel Broseta Foundation, Vicente Garrido Mayol, emphasised that the award re- presents the Foundation’s firm com- mitment to promoting university ex- cellence and recognising the talent of new generations of legal professionals, helping preserve Professor Manuel Bro- seta Pont’s intellectual, academic and human legacy. The jury was chaired by José Soriano Poves and comprised Carmen Llombart Pérez, a judge in the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community; Alfonso Maldonado Rubio, a notary in Valencia; Pilar Estellés Peralta, lecturer in Civil Law at the Catholic University of Valen- cia and Vice President of the Valencian Bioethics Society; and Carlos Balaguer Corral, lawyer and Managing Director of Delgado Abogados. Fernando Gar- cía Mengual, Deputy Secretary of the Professor Manuel Broseta Foundation and legal counsel to the Valencian Par- liament, served as the jury’s secretary. With almost three decades of history, the University Legal Studies Award has become one of the Valencian Commu- nity’s leading recognitions of university legal talent. Each year, it honours stu- dents who demonstrate an outstanding academic record and make a particu- larly high-quality contribution to legal study and research. Edmundo González received the Coe- xistence Award and its certificates from the President of the Spanish Senate, Pedro Rollán ; the President of the Ge- neralitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca ; and the President of the Professor Manuel Broseta Foundation, Vicente Garrido Mayol . The award decision was read by the Foundation’s Secretary General, Ma- riano Vivancos Comes . Although unable to attend, María Co- rina Machado sent a message read du- ring the ceremony by her legal adviser, Tomás Arias . The Chair of the Coexistence Award jury, Jordi Sevilla , expressed his full su- pport for democracy in Venezuela. The former minister began by stating, “I feel free on this platform,” and called for free and full democracy in Venezuela. EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ: “COEXISTENCE IS A DECISION A SOCIETY RENEWS DAY AFTER DAY” In his address, the award winner re- quested the first applause for the absent María Corina Machado and highlighted the Senate’s institutional significance as the venue. He stated that “coexistence is a decision a society renews day after day”, stressing that freedom belongs to everyone, justice makes lasting peace possible and respect for institutions ena- bles every citizen’s freedom. He recalled Manuel Broseta and his defence of de- mocracy and institutions as a guarantee of freedom for all, noting that “a society survives when power accepts limits”. González warned that democracy weakens when shared principles cease to exist, noting that in Venezuela the