Opposition leader surrenders during march in Venezuela.

Luciana Taddeo and Felipe Amorim, World Opera - Accused by President Nicolás Maduro of being one of the masterminds behind the violence of last week's protests in Venezuela, opposition leader Leopoldo López surrendered on Tuesday (February 18). Minutes after finishing his speech at the march organized in Caracas, at 12:20 pm (1:50 pm Brasília time), López presented himself to members of the country's National Guard.

Wearing a long-sleeved shirt, López stated that if his surrender serves to "awaken" the people and allows Venezuelans to achieve change, "it will be worthwhile." There was an arrest warrant out for the opposition leader.

The leader, who is running a campaign called "The Exit," in which he proposes that the population take to the streets for a change of government, is accused by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being the mastermind behind the violence that caused three deaths in the protests last Wednesday (February 12).

"Today I stand before an unjust, corrupt Justice system that does not judge according to the Constitution and the laws. But, on this day, I also stand before you with my deepest commitment that if imprisonment is worthwhile for the awakening of a people, for Venezuela to awaken definitively and for the majority of Venezuelans who want change to be able to build it in peace and democracy, then it will be worth it," López expressed.

Exclusive images broadcast by Globovisión show the moment when, already inside a police unit and surrounded by officers, López speaks to the population through a wired loudspeaker, asking for calm. "I ask from the bottom of my heart that you allow us to leave here in peace and tranquility" to continue "the fight to rescue Venezuela," he expressed.

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Around 10 a.m. local time, a crowd had already gathered at the site where the march began. "I'm here to support Leopoldo López. We are more organized and he is one of the most prominent figures in the opposition, he is the leader now," Ruben García, 32, who works in civil engineering, told Opera Mundi.

According to him, who lives in Valencia, in the Venezuelan state of Carabobo, the protesters cannot demand a change of government, "because that would be a coup d'état," but rather that the government change its guidelines, such as "the management of the economy and the attack on private enterprise."

For Solange Alcaza, 57, the people who previously rallied around opposition leader Henrique Capriles have now begun to rally around López. "But the problem isn't Leopoldo and Capriles, it's the scarcity, the insecurity, the problems in the hospitals," she said, adding that she owns a fabric business and is on the verge of bankruptcy due to a lack of raw materials.

"We want to live in a better Venezuela. I hope the government reacts to the protests and ends up resigning," said 18-year-old Génesis Hernández, who just graduated from high school and wants to study law. "Unfortunately, there is no other option. A coup d'état would be violent; if they [the government] want peace, let them do it peacefully," he said.

Génesis attended the march accompanied by her sister, Grecia Hernández, 25. An advertising professional, she explained that she was there because, according to her, the government is the one promoting violence. "They are the violent ones," she said, emphasizing that the protest was being carried out peacefully. According to her, it is necessary to leave home, despite the fear that something might happen during the demonstration.

In parallel with the event called by López, a large Chavista demonstration was heading towards the Miraflores Palace, the presidential headquarters, in the center of Caracas. For this reason, López changed the starting point of his demonstration.