Venezuela Opposition Leader Henri Falcon Registers as Candidate

Henri Falcon, a former Chavista and long-time governor of the state of Lara who became a vocal critic of Chavez and Maduro, registered his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections on Monday.

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On behalf of the Progressive Advance and Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) parties, Falcon will be facing current President Nicolas Maduro among others on April 22.

MAS President Segundo Melendez and MAS General Secretary Felipe Mujica initially approved Falcon's candidacy and handed the inscription to the National Electoral Council, while Falcon handed to the Electoral Power his Government Program for the 2019-2025 period the following day.

Last Thursday, the main opposition coalition, Democratic Unity Roundtable, announced it would not present a candidate.

Nevertheless, the Venezuelan president had called on the opposition to challenge him and ignore instructions coming from the United States as he was registering as an official candidate on Tuesday.

Maduro also handed in the Government Program for the 2019-2025 presidential period, which is considered to be the continuation of Hugo Chavez' Fatherland Plan 2013-2019.

This program includes the proposals from popular assemblies that began in January, where more than three million Venezuelans took part.