Venezuelan opposition party replaces Guaido as candidate
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Loading... - Pamela Anderson
- 08 May 2023
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Voluntad Popular, a Venezuelan opposition party, has named a new candidate for the upcoming presidential primary in October, replacing Juan Guaido, the former leader who left Venezuela unexpectedly in late April. The party named Freddy Superlano, a 46-year-old engineer and critic of President Nicolas Maduro, as its nominee during a news conference. The decision to replace Guaido was made due to his absence from the country, as he could not represent the party from "exile."
Desiree Barboza, a member of Voluntad Popular, stated that the decision to name Superlano as the party's candidate was unanimous. However, Superlano will face at least a dozen other figures seeking to lead the opposition in the expected 2024 presidential contest.
Guaido arrived in Miami on April 25 from Bogota, where he had gone to participate in an international conference on Venezuela's political future. He claimed that Colombian authorities forced him to leave, despite his appeal for protection citing new threats by Maduro's government.
Guaido served as acting president in a shadow government challenging Maduro until the opposition dissolved it in December 2022. Like Guaido, Superlano is also barred by judicial and administrative rulings from running for public office.
Speaking at Voluntad Popular headquarters, Barboza referred to Superlano as a "man who beat Chavismo" due to his 2021 victory in the race for governorship of Barinas state, a former stronghold of the ruling party and the birthplace of late President Hugo Chavez. However, the Supreme Court, seen by critics as an arm of the government, invalidated the result, and Superlano did not take office.
It is worth noting that other candidates seeking nomination in the October primaries have also been disqualified, which has been a contentious issue in negotiations between the government and the opposition.
