Briefing

Henrique Capriles Insists on Going to Elections

He said that he’ll oversee actions to guarantee minimum conditions for a fair election; Venezuela has over 1000 coronavirus cases per day and we’re approaching the 50,000 cases mark

Naky Soto
Addressing the nation, he tried to justify his views.

Photo: El Carabobeño

  • Henrique Capriles, former presidential candidate and somewhat relevant opposition figure, mentioned three key points when he started his speech that summarize his criticism against chavismo: Nicolás isn’t looking out for anyone, his coronavirus figures are a lie, and chavismo is to blame for the destruction set upon us. Immediately after, he expressed his intentions to present himself as a good leader, remarking that he cares about the poor, that he wants to protect people, that he always thinks about solutions for the difficult times. The two-time presidential candidate assured that unity is a means, not an end and unity needs a plan, a purpose and a strategy. He also criticized the caretaker government’s opacity and how “we can’t keep playing the ‘internet government’ game,” he said while streaming online. The 47-minute-long introduction was all criticism and then he said what he wanted to: he will lead an option for the “election” in December, as to not give away the National Assembly to Nicolás, so he will focus in guaranteeing, from the inside and in a few months, the minimum conditions for voting. He reiterated that the priority is to contain the coronavirus pandemic and that delaying the election must be considered. He denied there had been a negotiation with Turkey as a mediator, but he said there had been a phone call with their Foreign Minister. About the point where he had more explaining to do, he presented little information. 
  • On Wednesday, Delcy Rodríguez said that there were 1,127 new coronavirus cases, for a total of 48,883 cases they’ve admitted to. She also reported 7 deaths, for a total of 398 deaths they’ve admitted to. Sadly, cardiologist Orlando Quintana died in Vargas after being hospitalized for over a month. PAHO director Carisaa Etianne said: “If it’s true that healthcare workers, nurses, doctors and other professionals are only a small fraction of our population, they’re especially vulnerable to COVID-19 (…) Our data shows that almost 570,000 healthcare workers in the region have been infected and over 2,500 have died (…) so far, we have the highest rate of infected health professionals in the world.” 
  • Oil tanker Nabarima, currently anchored in the Paria Gulf, with 1.15 million barrels of oil, is in trouble and sources at Eni told Argus Media that the leaks were repaired and that they’re planning how to transfer the oil. Nicolás’s regime had denied the tanker’s problems and accused union leaders who denounced what was happening of lying. 
  • The National Assembly installed a mixed commission to investigate accusations against the owner of BOD Financial Group, Víctor Vargas, after several disagreements between deputies. 
  • Deputy Stalin González, Henrique Capriles’s partner in negotiations with Nicolás’s regime, resigned to his party Un Nuevo Tiempo.
  • Deputy Renzo Prieto, political prisoner released with the “pardon” issued by Nicolás, didn’t have contact with his family during the almost six months that he was detained in FAES headquarters: “They never let me make a call. That’s why I don’t recognize any pardon, because it’s issued by an usurper that kidnapped us,” he said and added that he didn’t have access to any news. “This is one kind of torture. It’s not a beating, but it’s torture. I had to sleep on the floor. The first three days I spent them handcuffed to the bed, then they took me to those cells, shaking (…) We only had the clothes on our back. We spent 19 days that way, no brushes, no showers, no blankets, nothing,” he added. The testimonies by Régulo García Castro, Vasco Da Costa and Carlos Villa about how they were tortured are horrifying, including beatings, electric shocks, hunger and isolation. Others were denied medical attention. 
  • Nicolás’s Foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Josep Borrell, reporting the measures that they’ll enforce for the “election,” meaning that they’ll basically do what the law says should be done and invited both institutions to observe and accompany, because that will generate trust among voters. There’s been no real international observation in Venezuela since 2006 and when it’s done seriously it’s a process that requires more months than we have from here to December. 
  • “The U.S. has four employees that go inside my cell every night and beat me so I lie about Maduro,” said Colombian citizen Alex Saab. It’s a bold move by the Cape Verdean government, allowing this abuse and then allowing the alleged victim to decry it. We’ve said it before: Saab’s defense team wants to make him a headline every day, no matter how. Courts in that country are in recess until October. 
  • U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the legislative “election”  of next December in Venezuela won’t be free nor fair, and said that the international community is perfectly aware of this sham election being full of irregularities.
  • The Democratic candidate Joe Biden said that Cuba, China and Russia have contributed to stalling the political process in Venezuela and that Donald Trump’s policy has been “an utter failure” that has strengthened Nicolás.
Briefing

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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