Venezuelan far-right opposition politician Andres Caleca. Photo: RedRadioVE/File photo.
Venezuelan far-right opposition leader Andrés Caleca, who ran in the opposition primaries, said that if the opposition does not agree to choose a candidate for the presidential elections, he will register independently.
In an interview this Tuesday, March 12, Caleca said that if the opposition makes the mistake of calling for abstention again, he will register as an independent candidate for the presidential elections scheduled for July 28.
Caleca expressed his opinion that Venezuelans cannot be left without an alternative and cannot “leave the field alone” to the government.
🔵 Andrés Caleca: Si la oposición vuelve a llamar a la abstención, inscribiré de nuevo mi candidatura a la presidencia.
🗣 "Si nadie se inscribe, iré yo al CNE y me inscribiré solo. No podemos dejar al venezolano sin alternativas".
📌 @jaircuba pic.twitter.com/TdqRY5sZsT
— 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 (@polianalitica) March 12, 2024
“If they call for [electoral] abstention, if the opposition makes that mistake again, I will go alone to the CNE, and I will register my candidacy alone,” said Caleca. “Either they agree or I sign up alone.”
He clarified that he would not support any political proposal that consists of abandoning the electoral route or non-participation in the presidential elections. In 2018, the far-right opposition within Venezuela attempted to use this strategy, under the directions of the White House, to delegitimize Nicolás Maduro’s imminent electoral victory.
Although Caleca demonstrated his desire to stand as the opposition’s presidential candidate, he said that his candidate of choice still is María Corina Machado.
“I will not support any proposal to ignore it or say that this process is illegal, that it is rigged. If that’s the case, then I’m not playing, because I’m not going to leave the entire field to Maduro again,” said Caleca.
US Intelligence Recognizes President Maduro Is ‘Unlikely to Lose’ in Venezuela’s Upcoming Elections
Given the long-standing disqualification of María Corina Machado, there are already several opposition leaders who are flirting with a possible presidential candidacy, including the leader of the AREPA party, Daniel Ceballos.
Last January, the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ruled against the lifting of Machado’s long-standing disqualification from holding public office. Consequently, the National Electoral Council updated the voters’ registration database and confirmed that Machado is not eligible to run for public office, as ratified by the TSJ ruling.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
