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Henrique Capriles Radonski (Spanish pronunciation: [enˈrike kaˈpɾiles raˈðonski]) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, currently serving as 36th Governor of Miranda. Born in Caracas on 11 July 1972, he received a degree on law from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, and later tax law from the Central University of Venezuela. Capriles first ventured into politics at age 26, when he became the youngest member ever elected of the Venezuelan parliament. He secured a seat into the Chamber of Deputies in the 1998 parliamentary elections, under the Christian democratic party Copei. He served as Vice President of the Congress and President of the Chamber of Deputies until their dissolution by the Constitutional Assembly in August 1999.
Henrique Capriles Radonski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Miranda | |
| Assumed office 29 November 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Diosdado Cabello |
| Mayor of Baruta | |
| In office 30 July 2000 – 26 November 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Ivonne Attas |
| Succeeded by | Gerardo Blyde |
| Vice president of the Congress of the Republic of Venezuela | |
| In office 23 January 1999 – 22 December 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ixora Rojas |
| Succeeded by | none (congress dissolved) |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Venezuela | |
| In office 23 January 1999 – 22 December 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ixora Rojas |
| Succeeded by | title abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1972 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Political party | Justice First (2000–present) Copei (Before 2000) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Unity Roundtable (2008–present) |
| Alma mater | Andrés Bello Catholic University Central University of Venezuela |
| Signature |  |
In 2000, he co-founded the political party Primero Justicia, alongside politicians Julio Borges and Leopoldo Lopez, and ran successfully for the mayorship of the Baruta municipality in the regional elections held in July 2000. Two years into his first term as mayor, a failed coup d'état took place, removing then-President Hugo Chávez from office for three days. The Cuban embassy, located in the Baruta municipality, was attacked and received severe damages; Capriles was charged of these attacks and was arrested in May 2004, only to be released on probation in September. At the 2004 regional elections, Capriles was re-elected as mayor of Baruta for a second term, defeating government candidate Simón Pestana with 79% of the votes. Unable to seek a third term as mayor, Capriles ran for the governorship of the Miranda state at the 2008 regional elections, defeating incumbent Diosdado Cabello.
After President Hugo Chávez's health started to decline, Capriles became the strongest contender so stand a chance at the 2012 presidential elections. He was later selected as the formal opposition candidate after winning the primaries held on February 2012. However, he lost the presidential election against Hugo Chávez, who was re-elected for a third term. Having lost the election, Capriles ran for a second term as governor of Miranda in the 2012 regional elections, defeating Elías Jaua. After Hugo Chávez' sudden death on March 2013, Capriles ran again at the extraordinary 2013 presidential elections against pro-Chávez candidate and vice president Nicolás Maduro. Maduro narrowly defeated Capriles by a margin of less than 1.5%, in a victory that the opposition considered as electoral fraud. Capriles refused to accept the results, claiming election irregularities.[1]
Capriles Radonski is of Sephardi Jewish and Ashkenazi Jewish descent; his grandparents immigrated from Russia and Poland during World War II. However, he considers himself as a fervent Catholic, revealing that his greatest hero in history was Jesus Christ. Capriles dated Venezuelan actress Erika de la Vega between his first and second tenure as mayor of the Baruta municipality. Prior to his political career, he worked in the public and private sectors at several tax and law firms of Venezuela. Capriles is a member of the International Fiscal Association, as well as the World Association of Young Jurors.
Henrique Capriles was born in Caracas on 11 July 1972. His parents are Monica Cristina Radonski-Bochenek and Henrique Capriles García.[2][3] His maternal grandparents were Ashkenazi Jewish that immigrated from Russia and Poland during World War II. His grand-grand parents were murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp. His maternal grandmother, Lili Bochenek de Radonski, spent 20 months in the Warsaw Ghetto.[2] Capriles' paternal grandfather, Armando Capriles-Myerston, was of Sephardi Jewish descent. Capriles' father was a successful businessman.[2]
In the 1950s, Capriles García helped launch Kraft Foods' entry into Venezuela by inviting the vice-president of its Nabisco subsidiary and persuading him to invest in the country.[4] His maternal grandparents, Andrés Radonski and Lili Bochenek de Radonski, immigrated to Venezuela in 1947. Andrés was an engineer active in the cinema business in Poland. He opened his first cinema several years later in the eastern city of Puerto La Cruz.[5] The company operated under the name Circuito Radonski. It was merged in 1998 alongside Venefilms and Grupo Blanco to create the country's largest cinema chain, Cinex.[6]
Capriles was raised a Catholic. His parents agreed to educate their children in the Catholic faith until they were old enough to decide for themselves.[7] Capriles continued being a "fervent Catholic" through his adulthood, commenting that his greatest hero in history was Jesus Christ.[8] Capriles enrolled at the Andrés Bello Catholic University to study commerce law. He received his degree in 1994, and then continued studies at the Central University of Venezuela. He received a degree in tax law several years later.[9] He took additional studies at the IBFD International Tax Academy in Amsterdam, the Pan American Center of Tax Managers in Viterbo, and Columbia University.[9] He is a sitting member of the International Fiscal Association and the World Association of Young Jurors.[9]
Early years and Chamber of Deputies (1995-1999)
Capriles first ventured into politics between 1995 and 1998, when he aided his cousin, deputee Armando Capriles, in the writing of laws for the Bicameral Comission of Energy of the then-existing Congress of the Republic.[10] Armando, who was a partisan of the Christian democratic party Copei, later offered Henrique the possibility of being a candidate for a seat at the Chamber of Deputies at the 1998 parliamentary elections, under the belt of Copei. Capriles accepted, and successfully secure a seat at the Congress in prepresentation of the Zulia state.[10] He became the youngest member ever elected of the Venezuelan parliament,[11] and later held the positions of Vice President of the Congress and President of the Chamber of Deputies. Shortly after being elected, Capriles broke ties with Copei.[10] On August 1999, the Constitutional Assembly abolished Capriles' seat, and dissolved the Congress.
Mayor of Baruta (2000–2008)
The Congress was replaced with the National Assembly, and new deputees were elected in a general election held in 2000. That year, Capriles founded political party Primero Justicia, alongside politicians Julio Borges and Leopoldo Lopez. He did not run for a seat at the newly created Assembly; however, he and Leopoldo Lopez pursued the roles of Mayors of the Baruta and Chacao municipalities, respectively, at the regional elections held in July 2000. They ran flagged by their new party, and both achieved success. Lopez won with 51,5% of the voters, whereas Capriles received 62,9% of support. Borges, instead, secured a seat in the National Assembly. As mayor, Capriles focused on the reduction of crime amonsgt his municipality, as well as improving the overall infraestructure of the area.
In 2002, President Hugo Chávez was the target of a failed coup d'état that removed him from office on 11 April 2002, after several days of violent protests in Caracas. The coup, triggered by a mayor political discontent among a sector of the Venezuelan population, was performed originally by members of the military and the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Fedecámaras, represented by its president Pedro Carmona, who was declared as the interim president. The following day, the Embassy of Cuba, located in Baruta, received severe damages by opposition protesters who cut off water and electricity supply, smashed windows, damaged six staff vehicles, and blocked the Cuban ambassador, German Sanchez Otero, from leaving. The same day, Interior Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacin was detained by the municipal police.
Chávez returned to the presidency on 13 April 2002. Capriles then faced charges as a result of the attacks at the embassy. In March 2004, Anderson declared publicly that Capriles would be arrested; the warrant was annulled in early April. In May 2004 Capriles was arrested on the orders of Anderson, on the grounds that Capriles might flee the country; he was released on probation in September, pending his trial. In December 2006, Capriles was acquitted of the charge of fomenting violence in a siege of the Cuban embassy during the coup attempt, but five months later, his acquittal was annulled by the court of appeal, and the case was re-opened in October 2008. The U.S. Department of State mentioned Capriles' case in its 2008 Human Rights report as a denial of a fair public trial.
After being released in September, Capriles ran for re-election at the 2004 regional elections that took place in October. He easily defeated his opponent, pro-Chávez candidate and television actor Simón Pestana, with 79% of the votes.
Governor of Miranda (2008–present)
Presidential candidate
2012: primary and presidential elections
On 12 February 2012, eight months ahead of the scheduled presidential elections, the Venezuela opposition held a primary election to select candidates for the presidency, as well as candidates for governorships and mayorships. Five candidates participated in the election to become the official opposition candidate for the presidency: Capriles, Pablo Pérez Álvarez, María Corina Machado, Diego Arria and Leopoldo López. The latter, who was barred from running following corruption charges, withdrew his candidacy and offered his support to Capriles. 3,059,024 votes were cast in the election, of which Capriles received 1,900,528, representing 64.2% of the vote. Pérez, then-Governor of the Zulia state, finished second with 30.3% of the votes.
2013: Chavez' death and extraordinary presidential elections
Political views
Religious views
Social media
| Year | Elections | Position | Elected | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Parliamentary election | Deputee of the Republic | Yes | — |
| 2000 | Regional elections | Mayorship of the Baruta municipality | Yes | 68,051 (62.9%) |
| 2004 | Regional elections | Yes | 71,160 (78.8%) | |
| 2008 | Regional elections | Governorship of Miranda | Yes | 583,795 (53.1%) |
| 2012 | Presidential elections | President of Venezuela | No | 6,591,304 (44.3%) |
| Regional elections | Governorship of Miranda | Yes | 583,660 (51.8%) | |
| 2013 | Presidential elections | President of Venezuela | No | 7,363,980 (49.1%) |
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