FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

60 PROFESSOR MANUEL BROSETA FOUNDATION ` Group photograph at the presentation of the 34th Coexistence Award in the Spanish Senate. value of people’s word, trust in institu- tions and the bond uniting society have weakened. Rebuilding the country, he said, will require restoring both institu- tions and trust among Venezuelans. Of the opposition he represents alongside María Corina Machado, he said that “our strength has been to share the vision that Venezuela deserves to stand above any personal interest”, stressing that “recons- truction can no longer be delayed”. The award winner also referred to the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, sta- ting that “tragedies reveal a state’s ability to protect life and care for its citizens” and that governing means anticipating events. Despite the pain caused, he con- cluded, these episodes revealed the best of the Venezuelan people. WORDS FROM GARRIDO MAYOL, PÉREZ LLORCA AND ROLLÁN The Foundation’s President, Vicente Garrido Mayol, argued that “democracy requires pluralism, political parties, free and regular elections with appropriate international observation, recognition of fundamental rights, especially free- dom of expression, and the separation of powers”. “That is what the award win- ners want for their Venezuela, for our Venezuela,” he said, “because we all feel Venezuelan, particularly now, when the natural disaster has torn at our hearts.” Juanfran Pérez Llorca, President of the Generalitat, began by remembering the thousands of earthquake victims in Ve- nezuela. He recalled Spain’s resolve in fa- cing terrorism in its own history to argue that Venezuela faces the same responsi- bility: to fight for a democracy requiring renewed effort every day. He also drew a parallel between Manuel Broseta’s stru- ggle and that of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, concluding that “a people wishing to live in freedom can never be constrained”. He stated that “freedom always finds its way, as it did in Spain and will in Venezuela”, stressing that the award winners champion this peaceful, democratic path. The President of the Senate, Pedro Ro- llán, reflected on the fact that terms such as coexistence and harmony now feature among public demands, a sign, he said, that “we must not be doing everything quite right”. He recalled Manuel Broseta Pont as a senator and the chamber’s cu- rrent exhibition on terrorism, including a section devoted to the three senators murdered by ETA: Enrique Casas, Ma- nuel Broseta and Manuel Giménez Abad. He stressed that the Senate is directly elected by the people — “Hugo Chávez abolished it in Venezuela,” he recalled — and noted that the Cortes of Cádiz had met in that same chamber more than two centuries earlier. He drew a parallel with this ceremony, which, he said, calls for freedom, democracy and peace for a friendly Hispanic American country such as Venezuela. The presentation, initially scheduled for 15 January, was postponed because of un- foreseen circumstances beyond the Foun- dation’s control. This was the fourth time in the Coexistence Award’s history that it was presented outside Valencia’s Palau de la Generalitat, following the presentations to HMKing Juan Carlos I (2007), Nicolas Sarkozy (2008) and Javier Solana (2010). ABOUT THE PROFESSOR MANUEL BROSETA FOUNDATION The Professor Manuel Broseta Founda- tion was established on 16 July 1992 at the initiative of the Valencian Business Confederation in memory of Professor Manuel Broseta Pont, murdered that year by the terrorist organisation ETA. It presented this award just days before its 34th anniversary. Since its beginnings, the Foundation has focused on the Co- existence Award — recognising people, organisations or groups distinguished in defending freedom, justice, coexistence, respect and ideological pluralism — and on organising legal seminars and study events. It is currently chaired by Profes- sor of Constitutional Law Vicente Garri- do Mayol. ASSOCIATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS