Comedian Benjamín Rausseo, also known as "Er Conde," posing in front of an onion field in Quibor, Lara state in 2018. Photo: X/@ErGuacharo/File photo.
This weekend, Benjamín Rausseo reappeared on social media to confirm his candidacy “as an independent” for the 2024 presidential elections.
The comedian, also known as Er Conde del Guácharo, had been missing from social media for about two months after he failed to register as a candidate for the far-right opposition primaries. Now, he has reappeared with a video confirming his candidacy for the presidential elections after listening to “the popular clamor.”
“Due to the popular clamor of all those people we have been supporting in this beautiful project to recover the Venezuela we want, we have responsibly made the decision to go as an independent candidate to the elections of 2024. I am waiting for you there. The doors are open,” said Rausseo in a video posted on social media this Saturday, September 2.
El 28 de junio hice pública mi decisión de ir como Candidato Presidencial Independiente al 2024, y hoy, como cada día que pasa, esa determinación cobra más vigencia. Gracias por el apoyo Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/0JuwHhgFJj
— Benjamín Rausseo (@ErGuacharo) September 2, 2023
Shortly before the deadline for registration for the primary elections, Er Conde announced that he was withdrawing from the opposition’s internal process.
“Being faithful to his independent stance and trajectory without a political past, it does not suit him to participate in a primary to elect political leadership of an opposition sector. People tell him that he should go as an independent candidate to the general election,” his campaign wrote at the time. They added that the decision “comes after having listened to the ‘demands of thousands of people’ throughout Venezuela, especially in popular sectors.”
His decision generated strong criticism in the opposition sector, accusing him of wanting to divide the electorate. Others said that his ambition and bad advice “buried his career.”
Polls and the ‘Outsider’ Construct in Run-Up to Venezuela’s Opposition Primaries
“Rausseo? Nothing new. That human misery always acts the same. Making a circus of participating in the primaries is the cost he has to pay to keep his business. His only interest is money,” wrote one social media user.
At that time, Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Diosdado Cabello revealed that the opposition asked for money from the comedian known as Er Conde, which is why he did not participate in the primaries.
According to a survey conducted by the polling firm Poder y Estrategia, the voting intention towards Benjamín Rausseo decreased from 20% to 8% in only three months.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
