April 1 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition presidential
candidate Henrique Capriles defines himself as a center-left
“progressive” follower of the business-friendly but
socially-conscious Brazilian economic model.
He faces President Hugo Chavez in an Oct. 7 election.
Here are some of his main policy positions:
OIL
* Capriles denies the opposition wants to privatize state
oil company PDVSA as some “Chavista” officials have alleged. He
insists the vast energy enterprise will remain in government
hands if he wins power. He has, however, vowed that PDVSA will
be “de-politicized” with the replacement of politically-aligned
managers by the best professionals available.
* Like the government, Capriles wants the OPEC nation to
hike oil production to fund development. But beyond talking
about wooing more foreign investment and accelerating projects
in the huge Orinoco Belt, he is vague about how to achieve that.
He frequently cites Norway as an example of a nation that has
used its oil riches properly to diversify the economy.
* Capriles opposes Chavez’s decision to pull Venezuela out
of the World Bank’s ICSID arbitration court where U.S. oil
giants Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips are
seeking billions in compensation for 2007 nationalizations.
* Capriles says he would not immediately raise the price of
gasoline, which for years has been the cheapest in the world due
to big government subsidies. The subject is a touchy one for
Venezuelans who remember deadly riots over price hikes in 1989.
Capriles has said he would start a debate about the issue with
an eye to eventually increasing fuel costs.
NATIONALIZATIONS
* Capriles opposes more nationalizations, but said sweeping
takeovers carried out by the Chavez government since 1999 cannot
be undone overnight. Rather, he has said each of the hundreds of
companies and projects taken over should be studied case-by-case
to see if there is justification for returning businesses to
private hands or setting up some form of joint ownership with
workers.
* Development of the economy, Capriles says, can only be
done when the fear of nationalizations has gone. He cites the
failure to develop tourism in Venezuela – despite its
extraordinary natural beauty from Caribbean coastlines to Amazon
jungle and Andean mountains – as a classic example of the
deterrent effect of takeovers. “No one here even wants to build
a hostel for tourists … The owners are scared that a minister
will go one day, and he won’t like the coffee, and they’ll be
expropriated.”
CURRENCY
* Capriles says the two-tier currency controls in existence
– three-tier if the black market is included – have not achieved
their aim of slowing inflation or preventing capital flight.
Their removal, however, cannot be rapid and depends on the
creation of investor confidence and economic stability under a
post-Chavez government, he said.
* All pre-Chavez and Chavez-era debt, whether in local
bolivars or foreign currency, would be respected, Capriles says,
even though he criticizes the current government for borrowing
far more than he says the nation needs.
SOCIAL POLICIES
* While most opposition candidates have made a point of
highlighting crime as Venezuela’s main problem, Capriles has
made education his flagship policy, pointing to a strong record
of opening new schools in Miranda state. “Proper education is
the long-term solution to our crime phenomenon,” he said.
* He does, however, also lambaste the government’s failure
to stem violent crime levels that terrify Venezuelans and
visitors alike, leaving statistics on a par with some war zones.
“The central government has delivered 18 security plans – all of
them have failed. Pure politicking,” he scoffs.
* He applauds Chavez’s commitment to building clinics and
schools in low-income areas to offer free services, but says the
programs have been chaotically and often corruptly administered.
He proposes keeping the best of Chavez’s much-vaunted “Missions”
for the poor, while administering them better to ensure they
really benefit the most needy.
* Capriles’ camp plans to eliminate off-budget funds, such
as Fonden, used to finance state welfare policies.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
* Capriles vows to prioritize relationships with countries
in the Americas and “democratic” nations, as opposed to Chavez’s
ties with politically-allied governments often far away and with
questionable rights records such as Iran or Belarus.
* Despite that, China will remain an essential partner of
Venezuela, he says. “No one in the world can do without China.”
* Capriles sees no need to cut relations with Cuba, where
Chavez has had a particularly close relationship with the
communist government, but he says ties must be put on a
transparent footing. He has implied that the thousands of Cubans
in Venezuela – from shantytown doctors to intelligence and
security advisers – should be replaced by Venezuelans, and said
the country should revise its agreement to supply oil to Cuba on
preferential terms. “We will not give away oil to anyone, but
neither will we stop selling to anyone.”
* During the campaign, he plans to visit Brazil, Colombia,
Spain and Brussels.
ARMED FORCES
* Capriles has been guarded on the delicate topic of
Venezuela’s armed forces. Chavez is a former soldier and has
packed the senior ranks with his supporters, especially after a
brief, military-led coup against him in 2002.
* Capriles said the vast majority of soldiers simply want a
stable, democratic Venezuela, and he believes the armed forces
will stand by the result of the Oct. 7 vote, whichever way it
goes.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Daniel Wallis and
Kieran Murray)
