Henrique Capriles Radonski, former presidential candidate in 2012 and 2013, has resigned from the national leadership of his party, Primero Justicia, and with that, has triggered an internal storm in one of the main organizations of the Venezuelan opposition. The decision to resign, the leader stated in a letter sent to the party on September 20 and posted on his social networks this Monday, is expressed “in the loss of a shared vision, in the lack of internal unity and collegial leadership; in the existence of irreconcilable differences between a large part of us and an internal group of this very Board of Directors; in the lack of transparency, and the accountability of its administrators, which only weaken the party.”
Among the arguments put forward by Capriles are long-standing fundamental differences and a discontent that has taken shape among key figures in the party, currently headed by María Beatriz Martínez. Although he has lost traction as a leader at the national level, Capriles continues to be a leader who is listened to and has roots within his party.
My commitment to our Venezuela and the reunion of the Venezuelan family will remain intact.
I will continue to fight here, in this country, together with our militants and leaders in the states, municipalities and parishes to open paths that lead to a better future for our… pic.twitter.com/uIboaUlhqs
— Henrique Capriles R. (@hcapriles) September 23, 2024
The problems within Primero Justicia, a centre-right Christian humanist party founded in 2000 by Julio Borges and which includes a small social democratic tendency in its ranks, have been going on for some time. For some, they were particularly evident during the defunct interim government, the one headed by Juan Guaidó, in which conflicting policies and positions took place.
“Since the end of 2021, the party has been going through a deep internal crisis, which led to a new structure and a new presidency,” explains a source very close to the organization. “Today, unfortunately, we have a party deeply intervened by the regime. The Government knows in real time everything that is discussed in the party, and rewards or punishes certain positions based on the information it obtains,” adds the source.
The behavior of Eudoro González, national leader of Primero Justicia who participated in the negotiations to facilitate the departure from the country of Edmundo González Urrutia without informing the organization, seems to have saturated the level of internal tensions and was the straw that broke the camel’s back. What Euduro González did has upset many people, but he also has determined defenders.
Capriles supports Eudoro González’s actions and defended him from the barrage of criticism he received for his mediation at the Spanish Embassy to ensure Edmundo González Urrutia’s departure from the country. The opposition leader believes that González has committed an outrage. Eudoro González has declared that he is awaiting internal sanctions from the party.
In addition to the annoyance at the certainty that important members of the party are working as double agents, perforated by Chavismo to act politically in certain directions, there are important differences between Capriles and Julio Borges regarding specific issues on the party’s agenda, such as the relevance of international sanctions against Venezuela.
Throughout this time, Capriles has resented Borges’ stance, presumably because of his lack of commitment to an electoral solution and his tendency to engage in maximum-pressure political strategies. There are also important differences over the possibility of admitting Edmundo González as president-elect, which Julio Borges accepts and Capriles objects to.
“The National Board of Directors does not have a clear plan or a solid political proposal that would open democratic paths for the country in the midst of so much turbulence and uncertainty,” Capriles continued, who promised to “continue fighting in this country, together with our militants and leaders in the states, municipalities and parishes.”
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