CARACAS, Wednesday August 09, 2006 | Update
EL UNIVERSAL
At Caracas Teleport building in Plaza Venezuela, Zulia Governor
Manuel Rosales launched his candidacy as the single opposition
candidate running for president during the elections to be
held next December 3rd.
"Today is a day to put aside personal ambitions and think
of unity. It is important, because this year Venezuela is
at the crossroads -either it continues on the way to division
and unemployment or takes the way of peace and progress,"
Julio Borges for Primero Justicia (PJ), said after waiving
his nomination.
"We are putting Venezuela together again. Everyone must do
his bit in order to unite the country."
He asked the public to applause all the nominees who agreed
to choose the single candidate, namely Teodoro Petkoff, William
Ojeda, Cecilia Sosa, Vicente Brito, Froilán Barrios,
Sergio Omar Calderón and Enrique Tejera París.
Amidst the highest accolade, Manuel Rosales took the floor.
He announced straight to the point that the social area will
be the backbone of his government program. It will be a "sound
and well defined" program, he noted.
The local ruler explained that his government plan include
really fair allocation of oil revenues by means of two axes
-minimum wage for all unemployed and direct contribution to
the underprivileged.
The decision to name Rosales as the single opposition candidate
was made after the National Electoral Council (CNE) board
of directors decided unanimously that a recent ruling
from the Constitutional Court, Supreme Tribunal of Justice,
does not compel Manuel Rosales, to resign in the event
of standing for presidential election.
Previously, the justices of the Constitutional Court noted
that any officials running for re-election do not need to
quit their posts. However, in the case of officials willing
to be elected to a different position -Rosales' case- justices
argued that they need to resign.
Such ambiguity prevented the opposition nominees from agreeing
on one single candidate and made they consider primary elections.
04:20 PM. Western Hemisphere. Colombian President Álvaro Uribe said on Tuesday that governments should ensure citizens' rights to live on the border, in reference to a political and diplomatic crisis with Venezuela and its effects on border residents.