Henrique Capriles Radonski, two-time presidential candidate for the opposition coalition known as the Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, has announced his decision to withdraw from the upcoming primary elections scheduled for October 22.
In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, October 8, the candidate from the Primero Justicia party explained that he made this decision as a party member, not as a political leader, in order to contribute to the change that Venezuela needs.
Capriles cited his six-year disqualification by the General Comptroller’s Office as an obstacle that prevents him from participating in the internal consultation. He also mentioned that the Supreme Court has yet to respond to a decision in his favor from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Capriles emphasized the importance of unity and called on the Venezuelan people to participate in the primary elections on October 22. He expressed gratitude towards the National Primary Commission and urged everyone to focus on the future of Venezuela rather than engaging in internal conflicts.
The Primero Justicia party, which had scheduled a national political committee meeting for October 7, decided to suspend the meeting at Capriles’ request.
It remains uncertain what will happen to Capriles’ alliance with Manuel Rosales’ party, Un Nuevo Tiempo, following his decision to withdraw from the primary process.
Henrique Capriles, who won the opposition primaries in 2012, faced Hugo Chávez in the presidential elections that same year. However, Chávez won another term as president, receiving 55.07% of the votes compared to Capriles’ 44.31%.
In April 2013, after Chávez’s death, Capriles once again ran for president, this time against Nicolás Maduro. Capriles contested the election results, claiming fraud. Maduro won with 50.61% of the votes, while Capriles received 49.12%.
Capriles has been involved in politics since 1998, when he served as a congressman for the Copei party. He later founded Primero Justicia with other leaders such as Julio Borges and Leopoldo López. He served as mayor of Baruta and was elected governor of Miranda in 2008.
Capriles was disqualified by the General Comptroller’s Office for a period of 15 years after completing his second term as governor. He contested the decision, arguing that it was meant to harass him and his colleagues. Despite the disqualification, Capriles won the Primero Justicia party’s nomination in a consultation held earlier this year.
In July, Capriles called for unity among the candidates in the face of disqualifications affecting not only himself, but also Freddy Superlano and María Corina Machado.
