Zulia Governor Manuel Rosales (left) and far-right politician María Corina Machado (right). Photo: RedRadioVE.
This weekend, the Venezuelan opposition once again demonstrated its difficulty in reaching common ground after multiple disagreements prevented them from coordinating a meeting this weekend between presidential candidate Manuel Rosales and the disqualified far-right politician María Corina Machado.
On April 10, Machado, the leader of the Vente Venezuela political party, allegedly proposed a meeting with the parties comprising the Unitary Platform (PUD) and Zulia State Governor Manuel Rosales, who is the leader of the Un Nuevo Tiempo party (UNT).
This meeting would have aimed to define a unitary presidential candidacy for the opposition for the upcoming July 28 presidential election.
Although the opposition sector meeting was scheduled for this weekend, it did not take place allegedly because the Un Nuevo Tiempo party (UNT) did not confirm Manuel Rosales’s attendance.
A la opinión pública
En virtud de que desde Encuentro Ciudadano nos hemos empeñado en el manejo transparente del proceso que se lleva a cabo en torno a la inscripción de la candidatura presidencial de la unidad, informamos al país que, en fecha 10 de abril, nuestra candidata…
— Encuentro Ciudadano (@EnCiudadanoVzla) April 15, 2024
According to opposition sources, the Unitary Platform requested that both politicians meet to discuss a unified presidential candidacy. However, UNT demanded that Rosales and Machado meet face-to-face, to communicate the conclusions to the other parties later.
These differences in the meeting’s methodology were the main obstacles preventing it from taking place.
After learning about the meeting’s cancellation, the Justice First (PJ), Popular Will (VP), and Encuentro Ciudadano (EC) political parties publicly reproached and called for it to take place as soon as possible.
“We have made different attempts to hold the tripartite meeting, and the majority of the Unitary Platform parties agree on its urgency and are willing to carry it out. However, it has not yet materialized,” wrote PJ.
Encuentro Ciudadano (EC), the party directed by Delsa Solórzano, reiterated its “commitment that this electoral process be carried out in unity and that the registration of a candidacy selected by the PUD is possible.”
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What did UNT say?
Despite the different opposition parties’ accusations, UNT spoke out and clarified that at no time did Manuel Rosales receive a formal invitation to a meeting with María Corina Machado.
“We only know statements made through social networks,” alleged the political party.
They stated that Rosales “has always been willing to talk frankly with María Corina Machado,” as he did on March 19.
It remains to be seen if the opposition sector will finally manage to reach an agreement to present a unitary candidacy before April 20, when the deadline for substituting candidates on the electoral ballot expires.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
