Jorge Ariza, former minister of the late Hugo Chavez, will run for governor BarinasThe home of the former president, after the Supreme Court disqualified the opposition politician who won the November 21 regional election, Freddy Suberlano, and ordered a new elections next January.
“We have decided to release to the post of Governor of Barinas a proven, honest, capable and courageous man, Comrade Jorge Ariza Montserrat,” said Nicolas Maduro on Sunday.
The president called on the armed forces loyal to the government to support Arreaza, who married one of Chavez’s daughters and held senior positions, including vice president and foreign minister. Venezuela, EFE reported.
“I ask the people of Barinas for all their support (…) so that the son of our leader Hugo Chavez can take matters into his own hands with his firm hand and with his sincere heart,” Maduro claimed during a speech broadcast on state television.
Maduro also appealed to Ariza’s family bond with the deceased former president (1999-2013): “Arreaza is the father of a beloved icon of our leader Chávez, the beloved grandson of our leader Hugo Chávez, ‘Gallito'”.
The announcement came after the Supreme Court of Justice ordered the National Electoral Council (CNE) to call for new votes.Amid protests led by Soberlano, an ally of Juan Guaido, to claim victory in this region of 970,000 people, where the Chavez family has ruled since 1998.
In the ruling issued a week after the regional elections, the Supreme Court, accused by the opposition of favoring the government, acknowledged that “the forecast given by the National Elections Commission” gave Superlano 37.60% of the votes cast and Arginis Chavez, Chavista’s candidate 37.21%, but asserted that the opponent was In “incompetent state” due to administrative and criminal investigations into corruption against him.
One day into the ruling, Argenis Chávez resigned as governor and recognized Superlano’s victory.
Last Saturday, in front of about 1,000 attendees focused on rejecting the Supreme Court’s order, Superlano showed that his wife, Aurora de Superlano, would be the nominee in the new votes.
Relatives of former President Chávez have controlled the Barinas government for more than two decades. The series began with his father, Hugo de los Reyes Chávez, governor from 1998 to 2008; He continued with his brother Adan (2008-2016), the current Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba. He has continued with Argenis since 2017.
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 19 of the 23 states in an election that saw the bulk of the opposition return to the electoral competition.
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