Politics

It Was Just a Matter of Time

Henrique Capriles Radonski has been barred from running for public office for the next fifteen years.

José González Vargas

Earlier today Henrique Capriles Randoski informed through his Twitter account that he has been suspended from running for public office for a 15 year-period due to a sentence from the Office of the Comptroller General:

“Breaking: I let the country and international opinion know that I’ve just been notified of a SUSPENSION for 15 years”

According to Article 287 of the Constitution, the Office of the Comptroller General “Controls, oversees and audits revenues, expenses, public and national property, and all transactions relating to these.” Along with the Ombudsman and the General Prosecutor, it makes up the Citizen Branch of the Venezuelan Government.

This was just the latest move against the state governor for Miranda, two-time presidential candidate, and by far most popular leader of the largest opposition party in the National Assembly. Other moves in the recent past have included accusing him of taking bribes from Odebrecht —while gleefully ignoring the red elephants in the room— or fining him 40,000 Bolivars (about US$10) for receiving funds for a sports field from the Embassy of Poland.

Capriles had already warned that the Comptroller General was looking for an excuse to suspend him politically, but it’s too early to tell what this means for Capriles and the rest of the opposition leadership.

One could make the case that the government is trying to make an example of him or even cause an internal crisis within a recently re-galvanized opposition. It could also be another case of a splintered government not acting in a coordinated fashion. Then again, it could just be Maduro being a dictator, y ya. 

In light of what’s been going on over the past week and how far away, and unlikely, any kind of elections appear, especially after state governor elections were indefinitely postponed, this could easily turn up the heat instead of allowing things to cool down.

Which may be what the government wants?

 

José González Vargas

Freelance journalist, speculative fiction writer, college professor, political junkie, lover of books and movies and, semi-professional dilettante. José has written for NPR's Latino USA, Americas Quarterly, Into and ViceVersa Magazine.

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