Henrique Capriles, in a picture from August 2023. Gaby Oraa (Bloomberg)
Years ago, Henrique Capriles (Caracas, 51 years old) started swimming against the current, which caused confusion. And now, at the least expected moment, he’s done it again. Four days ago, the opposition leader surprisingly announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for the opposition primaries on October 22nd. The decision was greeted with incredulity by Venezuelans, not so much because it would change the outcome of the election – whose polls are led by María Corina Machado by a wide margin – but because Capriles is one of the pillars of the opposition within this mix of bad parties. Paths that try to unite against Chavismo.
In the first interview he gives after the announcement, Capriles EL PAÍS from Caracas explains via video call the reasons for withdrawing from the electoral race due to his disqualification and also makes clear his opinion on Machado (also disqualified), the primaries and his expectations regarding any Presidential elections in 2024.
Questions. He surprisingly dropped out of the primaries a few days ago. Doesn’t your decision weaken the process?
Answer. I think it’s more of a way to make things easier. The goals I set for myself were, first, to continue to raise the voices of the most vulnerable Venezuelans, and second, that the only way is to vote and that no matter what happens, we have a candidacy in 2024 that will be with Maduro competes. Today there is agreement, even among the most extremist voices, that we must go to the polls on the 24th. That was one of my flagships and the fact that I’m in the primary or not doesn’t mean I’m out of our election fight. .
Q What would you like from the voters who wanted to vote for you on the 22nd?
R. Everyone is free to make the decision that seems best to them. I believe that in the face of a regime that is not democratic, in the face of elections that we are fighting to be competitive, there is a debt to the voters for not talking about what we are doing with the disqualifications. For this reason, I leave this process to facilitate this discussion. I was disqualified for six years and it is true that there were great expectations in the negotiations [entre el chavismo y la oposición] we could regain our political rights. But the truth is that even today I am still disqualified and I should never link the fate of the country with my fate. The state must have a candidate beyond the primary next year. Of course my candidate will be the winner, I will fight for him, but to think that we are in Switzerland and that whoever wins the primaries will be the candidate and that we are in a complete democracy here means to ignore reality. The worst thing for the opposition is that if they do not accept reality, they are ignoring it, and the reality is that there are competitors who are disqualified. To believe that Maduro will enable me is to consider Maduro a democrat, but we are fighting a dictatorship that enforces its rules. To go into the alley and think that we are going to impose the rules on Maduro by some force is to leave reality behind. Nobody here accepts the disqualifications, the unconstitutionality or the atrocities that Maduro has committed. What we are talking about here is reality and how we face it.
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Q Do you think the rest of the disqualified candidates should do the same?
R. My message was not directed at any of the disqualified candidates. It is a personal decision that is argued and explained in order to give the space to another person who can register and thus facilitate the decision of Venezuelans so that we can have a candidacy. Since I am disqualified, I cannot register. I had expectations of the negotiation process with international support, but that does not depend on me. What really depends on me is to contribute to a candidacy that defeats Maduro, and I think it is obvious that I cannot be.
Q If you were leading the polls, would you have done the same?
R. This is the analysis of all my critics, as if this were to avoid defeat, and not. Politicians win and lose, I’m not afraid of losing. I believe that the board needed to be persuaded to discuss what interests me, which is that there could be a change in Venezuela in 2024. Personal aspirations must be placed above the collective aspirations and the aspirations of the vast majority. The opinion of Venezuelans is that there is a candidate who can compete. If someone else has a better chance than me, go ahead.
Q Chavismo used disqualifications to stop the opposition. Don’t you think that anyone who goes out and starts gathering support will end up disqualified?
R. There is the example of the state of Barinas in 2021. They disqualified the winner after he won, they disqualified his wife, they disqualified his wife’s deputy and the fourth candidate we are introducing today is the governor of a state that the The Chávez family had ruled for the past 20 years. I don’t think Maduro can disqualify 28 million Venezuelans. What we should not do is believe that there is a Messiah, a person who is predestined. It is true that Maduro can continue to disqualify, that is why this does not end on the 22nd, it is very important that there are clear rules on what to do in the face of possible disqualifications. Hopefully maturity will prevail and political forces will put group interests above personal interests and think about the country to discuss rules that always lead us to the same point: having a candidacy that defeats Maduro.
Q Don’t you think her candidacy will be viable if María Corina Machado wins on the 22nd?
R. I want all disqualifications lifted. It doesn’t matter whether I think it’s feasible or not. This is not a message to anyone. I think at this moment it is my turn to step aside and that was my personal decision. I don’t do anything to anyone. I continue to believe that the most powerful weapon we Venezuelans have is the vote. I was one of the critical voices of all the artificial and imaginative policies of the interim government. What is the outcome and balance today for all Venezuelans? Negative.
Q Who would be your candidate today?
R. My candidate is the primaries and unity.
Q What if Machado wins?
R. She will be my candidate, but my candidate will always be the choice. I will not follow shortcuts or voluntariness. What Venezuela needs least are extreme voices that jump from one extreme to the other.
Q Do you think that María Corina Machado represents the other extreme?
R. I have profound differences in social issues or how to manage a transition. My suggestion was and remains a suggestion of encounter, not a conflict. I think it is clear that the proposal put forward by your sector is a confrontational one, while the transition in Venezuela involves the recognition of the enemy, but also the dismantling of this type of all-or-nothing existentialism that has caused us great harm has .
Q Why did Machado’s suggestion affect so many people?
R. Venezuela is experiencing a moment of anti-politics and it is not the first time we are there. That’s why I’m very worried that anti-politics will lead us to a dead end.
Q What to do if she wins on the 22nd but can’t register?
R. Whoever wins the primary will be my candidate, but we don’t know if the disqualifications will be lifted, there is a sea of uncertainty. In the confrontation, Maduro wins and will continue to win. I believe that together with the winner of the primary, who will be my candidate, we must discuss and agree on all scenarios so that the opposition is not left without options if Maduro does not allow registration.
Q What will these self-governing primaries look like?
R. It’s a big challenge, I hope it goes well, but it’s not easy. I’ll be voting in an outdoor parking lot, but I’m not sure where yet. I always argued that it should be a process with electoral logistics, but in the end we decided that it would be self-managed.
Q How do you react to these recent announcements of a possible resumption of negotiations in Mexico?
R. I hope… I am among the Venezuelans who want an agreement, not only to give the country political stability, but also to think about economic and social recovery. The main concern of Venezuelans is not the political conflict, but the economic and social situation, with a minimum wage of four dollars a month. We are an oil country and until there is an agreement we will not be able to regain our main source of income.
Q Despite your retirement, are you optimistic about 2024?
R. There is a great opportunity, but we have to do things right. Change in Venezuela will not happen purely voluntarily. This is why negotiations are very important, because one must be clear that the transition requires swallowing frogs and that one cannot imagine that in Venezuela there will be a transition from an authoritarian regime to a complete one simply through elections Democracy will come. There are many reasons for the regime to accept the result. One of the big challenges is guarantees, and there are people who are in the extreme position that Chavismo must be destroyed and ended. I am not in that position, whatever the political costs, I am interested in making democratic reconstruction possible and not getting caught up in a speech that, although applauded, is nothing more than a speech.
Q Are you planning to retire from politics?
R. No, this is a life calling, I am a social fighter. I will continue to fly the flag of the most vulnerable, the flag of social justice, the flag that PDVSA must continue to be a company for Venezuelans. There are those who want to sell it. How much will they give us, will we sell the Venezuelans’ main income account, how will the population pay for water and electricity? It’s not about whether you are a socialist, capitalist, orthodox, liberal or conservative, that is a country matter.
Q Do you think Chavismo is celebrating its retreat?
R. Sure, definitely, the first to celebrate it was Diosdado Cabello.
Q Doesn’t that play into the hands of Chavismo?
R. I’ve never done it to him. Chavismo has never been as close to losing as it is for me. That’s why I’m disabled.
Q Have you thought about leaving the country?
R. No, my three children are Venezuelan and will live and grow up here.
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