Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CARACAS2371
2007-12-19 11:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Caracas
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH BARUTA MAYOR HENRIQUE

Tags:  PGOV KDEM VE 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5567
PP RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHCV #2371 3531126
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191126Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0323
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 002371

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2027
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSION WITH BARUTA MAYOR HENRIQUE
CAPRILES RADONSKI


Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Richard Downes
for Reason 1.4 (b) and (d).

1, (C) Baruta Municipality Borough Mayor and key leader of
the opposition political party Primero Justicia (PJ) Henrique
Capriles Radonski told the Ambassador December 18 that he was
optimistic regarding the opposition's chances to increase
their number of mayoral and governor positions in the October
2008 state and local elections. In a meeting that included
the DCM and POLCouns, Capriles acknowledged that this would
depend on the opposition's ability to work together to avoid
fielding competing opposition candidates for the different
positions.


2. (C) Capriles said he was not surprised by the December 2
defeat of President Chavez' constitutional amendments because
the last poll he reviewed on December 1 indicated the yes/no
factions were virtually tied at 49/49 percent each. He said
he arrived at the National Electoral Council (CNE) at 9pm on
Election Night when results should have been released and
feared the government might try to steal the election
results. A pro-government National Assembly deputy present
told him shortly after 9pm that the CNE had the preliminary
results and were discussing them with President Chavez. He
also said about that time more National Guard troops began
arriving and as the evening went on things were growing more
and more tense until the CNE announced the "No" vote victory.
He said that PJ's judgment was that the CNE official results
reported were in rough agreement with their own tally of the
actas (individual poll reports) provided by opposition
election monitors.


3. (C) The Mayor indicated that the opposition is now
focusing on the October 2008 state and local elections and
that he was considering running either for the mayor of
Caracas (Caracas has a mayor as well as five borough mayors,
including Capriles),or for governor of the state of Miranda
(which surrounds the eastern and southern sections of
Caracas). Diosdado Cabello, the current governor is largely
viewed as corrupt, Capriles said, and has ties to some of the
persons charged in Florida in the Antonini case. Capriles
noted that he knew one of the indicted individuals, Carlos
Kauffmann, but had broken off contact with him when Kauffmann
began doing business for the government.


4. (C) Capriles said he expected President Chavez to clean
his own house after the referendum's defeat, continuing to
value loyalty over competence. He also expected the
president to continue to conduct political prosecutions of
opposition figures such as himself. (Capriles was charged
and acquitted in December 2006 on six counts including
inciting a riot in connection with events at the Cuban
Embassy in April 2002. The prosecution has appealed and is
reinstating the charges.)

DUDDY