Venezuelan governor Pablo Perez takes aim at Chávez
By Jim Wyss
The Miami Herald
MARACAIBO, Venezuela — Pablo Pérez, the 42-year-old governor of oil-rich
Zulia state, knows the risks of taking on President Hugo Chávez. Pérez's
predecessor in the governor's mansion, Manuel Rosales, fled to Peru in
2009 amid corruption charges that surfaced after his failed presidential
bid. And last year, Rosales' chief of security was sentenced to 19 years
on murder charges, just three months after winning a seat in Congress.
Government critics say those allegations were trumped-up to sideline the
popular politicians from this opposition stronghold. Even so, Pérez
announced earlier this month that he hopes to take on the ailing Chávez
in the 2012 race.
"I can't turn my back on the country just because they're going to come
after me," said Pérez, surrounded by pictures of his wife and three kids
at the governor's mansion. "It's the risk that comes with the job."
Even as he shuttles back and forth to Cuba to treat an undisclosed form
of cancer, Chávez says he will run in next year's race and "knock out"
anyone the opposition might throw at him. Those claims aren't empty,
analysts say.
Despite facing spiraling violence, an anemic economy and record-high
inflation, Chávez commands fierce loyalty in this South American nation.
In power for 12 years, he enjoys approval ratings near 50 percent. In
addition, his government's dominance over the judicial system, the
national purse strings and a massive media operation mean he will be a
formidable opponent even if his convalescence keeps him sidelined.
On a recent weekday, Pérez was wearing a short-sleeve shirt, jeans and
sneakers, as he prepared to walk the sweltering streets of Maracaibo. He
said he plans to win over voters house-by-house.
"This country needs a president who represents everyone," he said. "And
that includes Chávez's supporters."
During his three years as governor, Pérez has shown a penchant for the
common touch. His communications staff scrolled through pictures of him
wading through the mud, sharing coffee in the wooden shacks of Chávez
sympathizers and helping an old lady wash dishes. There weren't many
pictures of the governor in a suit.
"He's always out in the field," a staffer said.
Pérez said his two main focuses are on healthcare and education. And he
said he's the only opposition candidate who can guarantee an orderly
transition if Chávez loses.
"I'm the only governor, the only elected official from the opposition
that has had some sort of dialogue with the national government," he
said. "A real democracy needs a strong government but also an equally
strong alternative point of view … There is no reason for Chávez's
supporters to be scared."
There are no guarantees that Pérez will ever face Chávez at the polls.
The coalition of opposition parties, known as the MUD, will hold a
primary Feb. 12 to choose a single candidate. Pérez has vowed to respect
the outcome but says he's convinced he'll win that vote.
But he has a long road ahead of him, said Luis Vicente León, the
director of the Datanalisis polling firm. Before he announced his
candidacy on Aug. 17, Pérez was running far behind the frontrunner,
Henrique Capriles Radonski, the charismatic governor of Miranda state.
Since then, Pérez has likely moved up some — particularly with the
backing of his exiled mentor Rosales — but he is still trailing, León said.
"Pérez is new and young and that plays in his favor," León said. "But
he's not as well known nationally as Capriles — although he can change
that on the campaign trail."
Pérez may not be a national figure, but being from Zulia is the next
best thing. Bordering Colombia and wrapping around Lake Maracaibo, Zulia
is the nation's most populous and wealthiest state with some 3.8 million
people.
The heart of Venezuela's oil industry, Zulia has always had an
independent streak. For the last decade, the governor's office has been
in the hands of Un Nuevo Tiempo, the party that Rosales founded and
which helped propel Pérez's career.
The state's reputation as an opposition haven has made it a target.
The government regularly throws heavy-hitters at political races in
Zulia, and has vowed to poach Pérez's job next year.
Francisco Arias Cardenas, the vice president of Chávez's PSUV party,
accused Pérez of letting his presidential ambitions get in the way of
his job, and told Panorama newspaper he had "no doubt" that Pérez was
funneling state funds into his presidential campaign.
"The most honest thing for him to do would be to step down from his
position if he wants to join the national campaign," Arias told the
newspaper. "Then he can go back to his state because we are going to
give him a whipping in 2012."
The national government is also stepping up some of its most popular
programs in Zulia: Free houses for the poor and opening up subsidized
food markets. Those kinds of initiatives resonate with many in Maracaibo.
Jose Contreras, 65, was standing outside a betting parlor where Pérez
was scheduled to inaugurate a freshly paved road. Contreras said that
while Chávez was building houses and working for the poor, Pérez was
only making noise.
"I call him the billboard governor," Contreras said. "All he does is put
up billboards but you never see the projects. He spends his time picking
fights with Chávez."
Chávez is fighting back. While the opposition has yet to settle on a
unified candidate, the government has been using its national network of
radio and television stations to take potshots.
Most recently, a pro-Chávez television show, called La Hojilla, or The
Razor, has been airing private telephone conversations between
opposition figures. In one of those calls, Oswaldo Alvarez, another
presidential candidate, is allegedly heard talking to an opposition
activist. In that call, they're heard saying that even Pérez's mother
thinks his presidential bid is foolish and that they fear he might
damage the opposition's cause.
The coalition has accused the government of being complicit in
wire-tapping phones, and allowing pro-government channels to break the
law even as opposition media outlets are shuttered for minor infractions.
Pérez said the tapes show just how desperate Chávez is. He said he has
talked to all the leading opposition candidates, including Capriles, and
they are determined not to fall into the trap.
"The government will do everything in its power to break us apart," he
said. "But we're going to stand firm. We have all talked about this and
we have agreed that we're not going to let this get out of our hands."
As he surveys Venezuela's electoral map, Pérez begins talking about
former President Bill Clinton's 1992 race. Like Clinton, he's the
governor of a far-flung state. And Chávez, like then President George
H.W. Bush, is an incumbent with an international profile.
"Nobody would expect that a man like Clinton, who came from such a small
state like Arkansas, would ever make it to the presidency," Pérez said,
noting that he shares Clinton's Aug. ust 19 birthday. "But these things
can happen, if you have conviction.""
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/26/v-fullstory/2375689/venezuelan-governor-pablo-perez.html
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