According to the opposition leader Javier Bertucci, the sanctions policy advanced by the United States and promoted by agents of the Venezuelan extreme right opposition, has not served to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro and instead, has caused enormous suffering to the population and pushed the country “to the bottom of the ravine.”
“We did not reach the crisis because of the sanctions but the sanctions pushed us to the bottom of the ravine. This policy of international sanctions has proven to be inefficient in the matter of removing the government,” Bertucci said in an interview with journalist Vladimir Villegas for his “Vladimir à la Carta” show.
Bertucci surprised many during the 2018 presidential election when he arrived in third place just behind Henri Falcon, without a solid political party behind him and with the help of evangelical churches.
He also criticized the abstentionist route on which the undemocratic sector of the opposition assembled around Juan Guaidó insists, considering that with this the spaces –of the National Assembly, governorships and mayors — are “given” to the government. Instead, he is committed to mass participation in the December 6 elections, not only to achieve a legislative majority, but also to pave the the way, with a view to organizing a recall referendum against President Maduro, which would probably be “the basis of negotiations with the administration that wins on November 3 in the US.”
According to him, President Nicolás Maduro would be willing to accept that the opposition activate the recall referendum. “Maduro respects, as far as I know, a constitutional solution. Maduro has told us in recent meetings: ‘if you activate a recall, I’ll let it go forward,” he said in this regard.
“I recommend that the recall is the basis of negotiations and we propose a route where sanctions are made more flexible, where we can see even a little light in the tunnel and we can reach the recall without the people dying,” he added.
On the other hand, he announced that his political organization will no longer be part of the National Dialogue Table, considering that it had already fulfilled its objective and, therefore — in his opinion — should disappear after the December parliamentary elections.
Finally, in front of those who question the leadership and capabilities of the president, Bertucci assured: “Some said and believed that Maduro is not smart and does not have authority. They were wrong. Maduro is not stupid and he does have authority.” He even admitted that “Maduro has been brilliant in preserving power,” although in his opinion “it would be stupid if he intend to stay in power until 2025.”
Featured image: Javier Bertucci next to VP Delcy Rodriguez during a National Dialogue Table meeting. File photo.
(La IguanaTV) with OT content
Translation: OT/EF
