Carlos Ocariz and Juan Guaidó during a political activity in 2019. Photo: Twitter/@CarlosOcariz
On Monday, August 22, Carlos Ocariz, leader of the Venezuelan opposition party Primero Justicia (PJ), called on the right wing to “move from eternal rhetoric to concrete action” and suggested that the opposition’s primary elections ahead of the 2024 presidential elections be held on June 24, 2023.
“It is time to move from eternal rhetoric to concrete action,” Ocariz stated in a press release. “Every day you all say that the primaries are important, but you do not fix a date. I propose that on the day of the Battle of Carabobo, the date on which Venezuela was liberated, June 24, that this internal consultation of the democrats who believe in a change for the country be held.”
He also emphasized on the need to appoint members of the Primary Electoral Commission.
“The governing body to organize the entire process must be made up of five citizens of high credibility, who will be independent, from different sectors of civil society. They will be in charge of assembling all the logistics of this opposition election day,” he said in this respect.
“For this, it is necessary to announce the names of these honorable people no later than September 15,” he added.
The third aspect that should be fixed, according to Ocariz, is the nomination process of potential candidates. This could take place in April 2023. So far local news outlets in Venezuela report that the list of opposition candidates exceeds 30 aspirants to challenge President Maduro in 2024.
“There is a lot of work ahead. We are making this proposal public to all the political parties and sectors. A process like this takes six to eight months to arrange,” he said.
“Considering this, we think that the applications of candidates for the primaries should be done in April, with 60 days of campaigning,” he suggested.
“I propose this working plan for Venezuela with humility, to complete planning the actions that will follow. However, the Primary Electoral Commission that will be set up will have the last word,” he concluded.
(LaIguana.TV) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/FV/SC/EF
