Internal Strife of Venezuelan Opposition Deepens: Capriles Criticizes Ocariz Candidacy

Henrique Capriles Radonski, leader of Primero Justicia party, has once again criticized the decision of opposition platform Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) to support Carlos Ocariz as candidate for the governorship of the state of Miranda.

In recent public statements, Capriles has endorsed David Uzcátegui’s nomination, who, according to him, has three times more support among voters and is the best option for the opposition to win in the November 21 regional and municipal elections.

Criticizing the G4’s nomination of Ocariz, Capriles expressed that “the eliminated candidate [Uzcátegui] triplicates the MUD candidate’s support.”

The Primero Justicia leader wondered if what the opposition is fighting for second place in the Miranda governorship election and not “to represent the Venezuelan people, so that the people who live far, far away, have a voice to defend them.”

Dictatorial opposition
Carlos Ocariz’s MUD candidacy was catagorized by the other right-wing candidate, David Uzcátegui, as an imposition “in the best dictatorial style,” as Ocariz did not accept to hold primary elections.

The clash among various opposition aspirants for the November 21 elections has increased the internal strife already present within the right-wing factions. In the case of Miranda state, criticism arose regarding the criteria that MUD considered when opting for Ocariz and not Uzcátegui as its governorship candidate.

For his part, David Uzcátegui, who has not given up his electoral aspirations, has described the MUD procedure as a hard blow to the objective of winning spaces through popular vote. In any case, this discourse of the popular vote is a recognition of the authority of the National Electoral Council (CNE).

Denunciamos que quienes controlan la tarjeta de la MUD en el estado Miranda chantajean a nuestros candidatos a Alcaldes de no apoyarlos si no renuncian a la tarjeta de Fuerza Vecinal.
Esto representa un irrespeto a la democracia y a los liderazgos locales.#DefendamosLoNuestro
— Fuerza Vecinal (@lafuerzavecinal) September 25, 2021

Moreover, Fuerza Vecinal party, which had nominated Uzcátegui, accused MUD of blackmail. Allegedly, MUD had pressured mayorship candidates of Miranda state to support Carlos Ocariz’s nomination.

Featured Image: Primero Justicia leader Henrique Capriles Randoski has criticized the candidacy of Carlos Ocariz for Miranda governorship, exposing divisions within the opposition. File photo

(RedRadioVE) by José Manuel Blanco Díaz

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/GMS/SC