By Ben Tavener
SAO PAULO
Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López has called off his month-long hunger strike, his wife announced Tuesday.
"To the people of Venezuela: today, after 30 days of sacrifice for freedom, @leopoldolopez suspended his hunger strike," Lilian Tintori said on Twitter after holding a press conference in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
López called his hunger strike -- along with fellow jailed opposition figure Daniel Ceballos, who ended his protest after 20 days due to medical reasons -- to pressure the government into announcing a timetable for parliamentary elections this year.
Venezuela's National Electoral Council confirmed Monday that the vote would be held Dec. 6, but denied it had been pressured into fixing the date.
Critics of the government of President Nicolás Maduro feared the elections would be delayed due to his low level of support, which stood at 25 percent in March. Analysts believe Maduro's ruling PSUV party, which currently controls Congress, could suffer heavy defeats at the polls.
Speaking to the press in Caracas, Tintori read a letter written by López from the Ramo Verde military prison outside Caracas where he has been held since February 2014, in which he thanked supporters for attending a rally last month to demand a date for the legislative elections.
According to the NTN24 news website, López had been denied access to his personal doctor during the hunger strike in which he has lost at least 15 kg (33 lbs).
Local news also reported that the former mayor of Caracas's Chacao district would continue to demand the government free political prisoners.
López faces charges related to his role in anti-government protesters that claimed the lives of 43 people, including government and opposition supporters.
The most serious charges of terrorism and treason were quickly dropped, but he still faces counts of inciting violence and arson.
His ongoing trial has been widely criticized as politically motivated, including by international human rights organizations and members of the United Nations and the European Union, many of whom have decried what they describe as "arbitrary" political arrests.
The Venezuelan government, however, has labeled the jailed opposition figures as "monsters" and "terrorists" who seek to overthrow the ruling regime, including with the backing of the United States.
