Executive Secretary of Venezuelan Opposition Coalition to Offer Resignation

Mérida, 11^th December 2013 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Ramon Aveledo, the executive-secretary of the opposition Democratic Unity Table (MUD) coalition, is to offer his resignation following the results of the municipal elections held last Sunday.

The opposition politician confirmed that the MUD is to undergo a process of “restructuring” after which he will offer his resignation. However if the parties of the MUD wish him to continue in his post, he appears willing to do so, reports conservative newspaper El Universal.

“We’re going to implement all the things that we’d studied and that we couldn’t do because of the electoral agenda…when this process of organising the new Unity Table concludes, I’ll put my post at the service of the Table to decide whether I should continue or not,” he said.

The comments come after the MUD only won 22.5% of municipalities and 42.7% of the vote in the municipal elections, failing to convert the election into a “plebiscite” against President Nicolas Maduro.

Aveledo also made a series of criticisms of the MUD’s strategy, and offered suggestions for how the coalition of some thirty parties should change.

These included arguing that the MUD should “be more united” after almost half of municipalities in the local elections saw alternative mayoral candidacies standing from parties within the opposition coalition.

He further said that the MUD should “be more open” and that the coalition “doesn’t appear very sensitive” to the country’s main issues.

The conservative politician also criticised the right-wing movement questioning President Maduro’s nationality as “distracting” and said that the opposition has not been clear on its own political program.

“We haven’t insisted on making known how the country we want will be,” he said.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who led the campaign to make the elections a “plebiscite” on the government, has remained defiant following the results.

In recent tweets the Miranda state governor argued that the opposition had “won” the municipal elections in Miranda state, and said, “Maduro, whenever you want let’s weigh ourselves in clean elections!”

According to the National Electoral Council (CNE), the government’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won in 15 of the 21 municipalities in Miranda state in Sunday’s election, including state capitol Los Teques.

President Maduro has suggested that Capriles resign from the opposition’s leadership, after his call to protest the April presidential election result led to 11 deaths, and his attempt to turn local elections into a “plebiscite” ended in electoral defeat.