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.