- Title: VENEZUELA: Opposition head dubious of President Nicolas Maduro's rapprochement
- Date: 21st January 2014
- Summary: HIGUEROTE, VENEZUELA (JANUARY 20, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF VENEZUELA'S OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES WALKING AROUND TOWN WITH SUPPORTERS CAPRILES TALKING TO SUPPORTERS CAPRILES BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELA'S OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES, SAYING: "There are so many problems - which also don't have a solution - that if you lower the political conflict, it creates a climate of conversation in the country that lets you win some time to try and fix things." VARIOUS OF CAPRILES WALKING AND TALKING TO HIGUEROTE RESIDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELA'S OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES, SAYING: "It's not possible that the political fight, the lack of will, sectarianisms and prejudices don't allow us to build one block to beat violence. That is my intention. If I have to go to hell and meet the devil for the sake of our people's security, I will do it." MORE OF CAPRILES MEETING WITH RESIDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELA'S OPPOSITION LEADER HENRIQUE CAPRILES, SAYING: "The economy is in a critical situation. Is the government correcting things? It seems not. What's next? More shortages, inflation won't go down. What could happen? That people will be accustomed to living like this. That could happen. The people in this town who queue to buy things here and there become used to that." CAPRILES DURING INTERVIEW MORE OF CAPRILES WALKING IN TOWN
- Embargoed: 5th February 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABVE55MVYPGZJFZHVRJSOMSB9G
- Story Text: Venezuela's opposition leader Henrique Capriles said on Monday (January 20) that he welcomes President Nicolas Maduro's dialogue with once-vilified political foes but also suspects it may be a tactic to "buy time" as crime and economic chaos overwhelm him.
After years of polarized politics dating from predecessor Hugo Chavez's 14-year rule, the government has held a string of meetings with opposition governors and mayors since December to strategize over Venezuelans' No. 1 worry: violent crime.
A handshake between Capriles and Maduro at one meeting was the most visible sign of the new rapprochement. It was their first encounter since last year's disputed presidential poll and months of mutual insults.
Capriles suggested that the government could be "buying time".
"There are so many problems - which also don't have a solution - that if you lower the political conflict, it creates a climate of conversation in the country that lets you win some time to try and fix things," Capriles, the centrist 41-year-old governor of populous Miranda state, told Reuters.
Capriles' participation in the meetings has raised some hackles in the opposition coalition's more militant wing.
Capriles and the Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition alleged fraud after losing the April 2013 presidential vote by just 1.5 percentage points. Adding to their frustration, they saw Maduro, 51, consolidate his position in December local elections where his candidates took 10 percentage points more than their rivals.
Less moderate opposition leaders, like Maria Corina Machado and Leopoldo Lopez, believe Capriles should be taking a more aggressive stance, such as advocating street protests.
But Capriles said the majority of Venezuelans were relieved at an easing of political tension and a truce in the rhetoric.
"It's not possible that the political fight, the lack of will, sectarianisms and prejudices don't allow us to build one block to beat violence. That is my intention. If I have to go to hell and meet the devil for the sake of our people's security, I will do it," he said.
While supporting government-opposition dialogue, Capriles has little confidence in Maduro's ability to resolve crime rates or chronic economic problems such as shortages of basic products and the continent's worst inflation.
Capriles noted some 20 crime plans under Chavez and Maduro had failed while underlying causes such as a corrupt judiciary were still not on the national agenda.
The government remains wedded to a socialist economic model doomed to failure, he said.
He worried, though, that Venezuelans would simply become accustomed to an unnecessarily poor quality of life - "fighting for a liter of milk" - while the rest of the region progressed.
"The economy is in a critical situation. Is the government correcting things? It seems not. What's next? More shortages, inflation won't go down. What could happen? That people will be accustomed to living like this. That could happen. The people in this town who queue to buy things here and there become used to that," he said.
Having fallen short in two presidential bids - against Chavez in 2013, then Maduro - Capriles' role as opposition flagbearer is an uncertain one. For now, he has returned to concentrating on his duties as governor of Miranda, a state ranging from Caracas shanty-towns to Caribbean fishing villages. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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