Justice First press conference with its president, María Beatriz Martínez, announcing Henrique Capriles as its candidate for opposition primaries scheduled for October 22. Photo: Monitoreados.com.
Caracas, March 1, 2023 (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Wednesday, March 1, after several days of internal tensions, the Venezuelan far-right opposition party Justice First (Primero Justicia) announced that its candidate for the opposition presidential primaries, scheduled for October 22, will be Henrique Capriles Radonski.
The president of the political party, María Beatriz Martínez, announced the decision at a press conference after consultations with the party’s regional political committees, and after postponing a similar media engagement scheduled for Monday. Defeated candidate Juan Pablo Guanipa was present during the press conference, but candidate Carlos Ocariz was notably absent.
The winner of the opposition primaries will go up against the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) candidate, President Nicolas Maduro, in the 2024 presidential race.
Presidenta @MBMartinezR se pronuncia sobre #ConsultaPJ del pasado sábado #25Feb. https://t.co/8wxKaYxlCD
— Primero Justicia (@Pr1meroJusticia) March 1, 2023
Last Saturday, February 25, Justice First held an internal consultation to elect its candidate for the primaries, and according to information released by the party, Henrique Capriles won in 19 out of 25 political regional committees, which are usually tied to states, with the exception of the Capital District (Caracas) and the addition of votes for party members living abroad.
Publicity remained subdued for the internal electoral process, and social media posts indicated very weak participation. The political party did not release numbers for voter turnout or any further details regarding the internal consultation. The announcement of the results showed that the other candidates obtained less popular support, with Juan Pablo Guanipa winning in only five states and Carlos Ocariz in only one (Nueva Esparta), despite him leading most popularity polls in recent months.
Carlos Ocariz Proposes Schedule for Opposition Primaries in Venezuela
Political analysts clarified that the press conference to announce the results and victory of Capriles scheduled for last Monday was suspended due to complaints from Ocariz regarding the results and the electoral process. His outcry was likely influenced by years of being expected to stand as the next Justice First presidential candidate.
On Monday morning, sources from Justice First’s national board reported that “after five hours of discussion, Carlos Ocariz was the one who disrupted and hindered the process that the other 30 members of the PJ Board had already decided upon. Even Juan Pablo Guanipa, who came second, accepted the final decision of Capriles as the candidate.”
La #ConsultaPJ del sábado 25/02 fue determinante y contundente y hoy los justicieros tenemos un candidato presidencial y es @hcapriles, en los próximos días y en el Comité Político Nacional será proclamado y muestra gran familia estará en las calles como un solo equipo. https://t.co/fOB6YbdyeL pic.twitter.com/NjMzWi4FRS
— Karim Vera (@KarimVera6) March 1, 2023
Justice First has been plagued with divisions since its inception, the most significant of which was the rift that had formed between Capriles and Leopoldo López, leading to the creation of Popular Will (Voluntad Popular). Most recently, José Brito, an important regional leader from the party, broke with the party due to differences regarding the “Juan Guaidó project,” giving birth to the Venezuela First (Primero Venezuela) party.
Capriles disqualified from running for public office
In 2017, the Comptroller’s Office disqualified Capriles Radonski from the “exercise of public functions for a period of 15 years from the date of execution of the resolution.” According to official documents, the decision was made due to “administrative irregularities that occurred during 2011, 2012, and the first quarter of 2013 in the performance of his duties as governor of Miranda state.”
Regarding the political disqualification that prevented Capriles from holding elected positions, the president of the party, María Beatriz Martínez said during a radio interview that “Justice First will not be the one that violates the political rights of the former governor by not allowing him to participate.”
In her opinion, the party’s decision to nominate Capriles expresses its rejection of the disqualification, which she described as “perverse.” Her implication is that President Maduro should grant a wide range of concessions, extending to pardons, for the 2024 presidential election.
Most analysts agree that, due to the democratic nature of President Maduro’s administration, despite the long list of crimes committed by Justice First and Henrique Capriles, President Maduro will grant the winner of the opposition primaries all the facilities needed to run against him and the PSUV.
Venezuela’s opposition has been plagued with divisions, internal confrontations, and questionable electoral decisions that have facilitated the electoral victories of Chavismo in recent years. The opposition primaries to be held this year will present a new challenge for the opposition to demonstrate that they can unite under pressure, but many analysts expect a variety of candidates to emerge from outside the opposition’s far-right core, amassed around the Unitary Platform. Furthermore, it is anticipated that numerous opposition insiders will disagree with the primaries’ results due to a lack of transparency within the process.
Orinoco Tribune special by staff
OT/JRE/SL
