Henrique Capriles spoke for the first time since announcing that he was resigning from the Primero Justicia party as a leading candidate. In a press conference on Tuesday, he said he was more comfortable because he was not in the race.
In a question and answer meeting of APEX – Foreign Press Association -, Capriles referred, although without mentioning him, to María Corina Machado and the “lack of will” to reach a consensus who will register before the National Electoral Council if the winner is still disqualified in the 2024 elections.
He clarified that he registered as a pre-candidate even though he was disqualified with the hope of negotiating “from day one” the removal of all political disqualifications, not just his, something that cannot be done because until now there has been no round to negotiate with the regime. He admitted that there are talks in Washington to continue the dialogue with sanctions as the centerpiece because “this is in Maduro’s interest.”
However, it promotes participation in the primaries on October 22 and in any way involving the popular vote. In that sense, he said that his intention is not to send a message to another candidate and that “if he wins the primaries he will be my candidate.”
“This is not for Rosales, the people will decide and if in the future they put obstacles in our way, we will not fight the stone, that we have a candidate in 2024 who defeats the regime because if we take those street to fall regime, we already know what will happen.
“If the goal is a candidacy, that does not move me, what moves me is the change of Government and if in the future some can and some are not qualified, I will not play there because that is a bad game” Nothing ‘y selective consent.”
He expressed concern because before the primaries on October 22 there was no agreement to consider the scenario of continuing the disqualifications. “We should have discussed it before the 22nd and agreed on some rules. There is no will. That will not weaken the primaries, on the contrary; we must put ourselves first. It is not fair leading the country into uncertainty as to who we are going to register; that is how we are going to lose straight away.”
I regret that the day of CNE registration comes and the disqualified candidate calls for withdrawal. “We will not participate in the abstention to punish the country for six more years, there must be an internal discussion that always guarantees the Venezuelans an option in the elections of 2024. maximum unity”.
In clear reference to María Corina Machado, who leads the polls and said: “I will go to the end,” Capriles asked to be careful with “apocalyptic phrases.”
“Be careful with them, we have had enough of these years, we can open a debate about the last few years and what they have served as a learning experience. if we do not change this regime. be careful to change the dead end, this is not the first time we hear phrases like break, exit, there are hours left, and here we are.
Capriles asked to reflect on the interim government “four years ago and why did we wait until last year when in 2019 we already know the fate of that, why?”
He considered that if “whoever wins the primaries does not have the ability to unite Venezuelans, they will favor Maduro and that is the worst mistake we can make.”
He reported that this Wednesday the Primero Justicia political committee will have a meeting to judge his resignation letter.
