Venezuela: Henri Falcon Names Potential Cabinet Picks

Henrique Capriles is a mainstay of the Venezuelan right-wing opposition and the wealthy former governor of Miranda state.

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Venezuelan presidential candidate Henri Falcon said in an interview with Panorama that his interior minister pick would be Henrique Capriles, who was President Nicolas Maduro’s rival in the 2013 presidential elections.

Capriles is a mainstay of the Venezuelan right-wing opposition and the wealthy former governor of Miranda state. He was one of the founders of the Justice First party, along with Julio Borges and Leopoldo Lopez.

“My interior minister would be Henrique Capriles, but of course it would be up to him,” Falcon said.

In an earlier interview with Noticia al Dia, Falcon said he would like Capriles to play a role in his government, but did not specify which role he had in mind.

“I would like, for example, that Henrique Capriles work with me in the cabinet… whether he supports us or not, it doesn’t matter; he should be part of the cabinet of the new president,” Falcon said Monday.

Falcon had previously acted as Capriles’ campaign head during the 2013 presidential campaign.

The former Miranda governor is a controversial figure for many Venezuelans, having refused to recognize his defeat in April 14, 2013 presidential elections, infamously calling on his supporters to “vent [their] anger” in streets, resulting in nearly a dozen deaths. 

Falcon also indicated that he will tap his economic advisor Francisco Rodriguez as minister of economy, while his campaign chief Claudio Fermin would serve as vice-president in a future Falcon government. 

Falcon is currently polling second for Venezuela’s presidential elections, which will be held this coming Sunday.

Although some more radical members of the right-wing have refused to participate in the elections, Falcon decided to do so despite criticism leveled against him.

The elections will be overseen by a diverse group of international observers, some of whom arrived Wednesday.

Edited and with additional reporting by Venezuelanalysis.com.