New Unitary Platform candidate Corina Yoris giving a speech after the announcement of her selection as presidential candidate. Photo: Federico Parra/AFP.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Rumors and speculation about who will represent Venezuela’s far-right opposition in the upcoming presidential elections ended this Friday. MarĂa Corina Machado, whose disqualification was not lifted by a recent Supreme Court ruling, stepped aside and named Corina Yoris as her replacement for the election against President Nicolás Maduro, scheduled for July 28.
“We found the right person, and it is someone who has the respect of everyone they have met… That person is with us, and that person is Dr. Corina Yoris,” said Machado from the headquarters of the Vente Venezuela party, where she was accompanied by far-right politicians like Delsa SolĂłrzano, MarĂa Beatriz MartĂnez, Roberto Enriquez, Ramos Allup, Omar Barboza, Biaggio Pilieri. The absence of Un Nuevo Tiempo leader Manuel Rosales was noticeable.
This move from Unitary Platform and Machado was not expected by most political analysts in Venezuela due to Machado’s recent confrontational statements. Most recently, last Thursday, she renewed the call for the international community to interfere in Venezuelan affairs. Additionally, Machado’s campaign team has recently been plagued with accusations of new insurrectional plots, breaching the Barbados Agreement.
Machado explained that the opposition coalition Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) chose Yoris, an 80-year-old historian, after weeks of uncertainties, sharp confrontation, and debate about the possible electoral options. With his Un Nuevo Tiempo political party, former Zulia state Governor Manuel Rosales was among the most visible ones.
Machado explained that she won’t abandon her fight to have her disqualification lifted, clarifying the candidate can be changed up to ten days before election day, according to Venezuelan electoral rules. Machado will continue touring Venezuela as she has already been doing, now alongside Yoris.
With a television screen showing the result of Yoris’ status on the National Electoral Council (CNE) website, the far-right politician explained that Yoris has no disqualifications and can be registered with the CNE. However, those authorized to apply to represent the Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) and the Democratic Unitary Platform parties still do not have access to the CNE platform to complete the process due to alleged login issues, Machado explained.
In a short speech, Yoris thanked Machado for her trust. When asked about the first thing she would do if she were elected president, Yoris responded: “Release the political prisoners,” repeating the same far-right narrative about alleged political prisoners in Venezuela rather than “jailed politicians” as the government labels them for their participation in terrorist and coup plots.
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In a short opening speech before Machado’s, President of the Democratic Unitary Platform Omar Barboza reiterated that they are unable to nominate their candidate for the presidential elections. He confirmed that the opposition coalition will remain on the electoral route, something that was unclear until this announcement as many opposition activists are in favor of resuming the non-democratic and insurrectional path that only has brought defeat for the Venezuelan far-right opposition.
Corina Yoris has degrees in Literature and Philosophy from the AndrĂ©s Bello Catholic University (UCAB), a doctorate in History from the same university, and a master’s degree in Logic and Philosophy of Science from the University of Salamanca, Spain.
The university professor who will be the standard bearer of the far-right opposition was a prominent board member of the National Primary Commission. She was president of the Venezuelan Society of Philosophy and of the Venezuelan Society of Logic.
Yoris’ nomination was proposed by the Citizen Concertation Movement, which supported the presidential aspirations of former Táchira state Governor CĂ©sar PĂ©rez Vivas. On her social media, she defines herself as a “fighter for a democratic country.”
Candidates’ registration period for the presidential elections closes on March 25. As of this Friday, at least four candidates from minority opposition groups have formally registered. Among them are those who lead factions of traditional parties whose original directives were dismissed by the Supreme Court of Justice, many of them due to irreconcilable differences with the 2018 far-right approach of promoting electoral abstention.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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