Venezuelan Opposition Seeks Reinforced Links With US

The government plan of President Hugo Chávez takes the independence of the nation as a base, while the one of his opponent in the next elections, Henrique Capriles, strengthens links with the United States, legislators denounced today here.

Ana Elisa Osorio, deputy to the Latin-American Parliament (Group Venezuela), alluded to five historical aims expressed in the program of the Chief of State for the period 2013-2019, between them, the continuity of the project to build socialism.

This project also calls for the transformation of the country into a political, social, moral and economic power; the creation of a multicentral and pluripolar world, and the conservation and salvation of life on the planet.

In contrast, the plans of the rightwing candidate seek to reinforce links with Washington, and to re-establish close relations with Israel, affirmed Osorio in declarations to Venezuelan Television.

Capriles, she said, "does have a government program, but has been reluctant to state it because he knows that it will not be beneficial for the country; his project is an attempt to return to the past."

Additionally, she pointed out that Capriles is opposed to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and to the Common Market of the South, a bloc to which this nation will be officially joined as of July 31.

The deputy Roy Daza indicated that, after a decade, the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is different, with unprecedented levels of integration and unity.

Capriles does not have a position on international affairs, and the one who will determine his foreign policy is the U.S. State Department, said Daza, adding that he is a faithful servant of powerful interests in that country.

Until now, practically all polls agree, showing Chávez as the winner of the October 7 elections, by a wide margin over the candidate from the so-called Democratic Unity Table.