Luis Eduardo Martinez (center-right) buttoning up his suit while Democratic Action's Bernabe Gutierrez (center) talks to him, before issuing statements to the press on Monday, April 22, 2024. Photo: QuePasaMedia.
Juan Carlos Alvarado, presidential candidate for COPEI, and Luis Ratti, candidate for the Popular Democratic Right (DDP), terminated their candidacy and announced their support for the Democratic Action (AD or Acción Democrática) candidate Luis Eduardo Martínez in the presidential elections scheduled for July 28.
Both Alvarado and Ratti agreed with the AD general secretary, Bernabé Gutiérrez, to announce their support for Martínez this Monday. The three political parties involved belong to the Venezuelan opposition that is pejoratively labeled by the far-right Unitary Platform (PUD) as “the scorpions” (alacranes) despite receiving a significant number of votes in the 2021 regional elections.
Gutiérrez, deputy to the National Assembly, together with members of AD’s National Executive Committee and the presidential candidate of the party, Luis Eduardo Martínez, announced the support of the political party.
“Here are the Adecos and the Copeyanos, with other allied parties and waiting for other great alliances,” said Gutiérrez, although he did not specify what those other political parties would be.
Ratti, for his part, said that his support for AD was not granted “on a whim,” but is based on his belief that AD can lead the country and win the next presidential elections.
Last Friday, the PUD announced the resignation of Manuel Rosales as Un Nuevo Tiempo party candidate and his support of the candidacy of Edmundo Gonzalez, now the new presidential hope for the far-right Venezuelan opposition.
On Saturday, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) announced an extension of 72 hours, ending this Tuesday, April 23, at midnight, in the resignation and substitution deadline for presidential candidates.
(Últimas Noticias) by Carlos Eduardo Sanchez with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
