Thursday, July 4, 2013

“We haven’t seen a single document showing Maduro’s [OBAMA'S] birthplace,” ...“We are asking the acting president [OBAMA] to tell Venezuelan [AMERICAN] people the truth.”

Global: Venezuela Birther Movement Questions President's Eligibility: Can’t Have Dual Nationality


Venezuela ‘Birther’ Movement Questions President’s Eligibility
By Anatoly Kurmanaev @ Bloomberg News

Venezuela’s opposition has tried and failed to unseat President Nicolas Maduro through street protests and court pleas since he won the narrowest election victory in 45 years in April. Their latest tactic is to question his nationality.

Maduro, 50, was born in the Colombian city of Cucuta to Colombian parents, opposition lawmaker Abelardo Diaz alleged at an event in Caracas today, brandishing copies of what he said were the identity documents of the president’s parents. The opposition will now ask Colombia’s Supreme Court whether this makes Maduro a Colombian citizen. If so, he would fall foul of the constitution, which states the president must be “Venezuelan by birth” and not have other nationalities.

“We haven’t seen a single document showing Maduro’s birthplace,” said Diaz. “We are asking the acting president to tell Venezuelan people the truth.”

Maduro is the hand-picked successor of the late Hugo Chavez, who died from cancer in March. A former union leader, Maduro has overseen Latin America’s fastest inflation and mounting shortages of everything from toilet paper to butter since coming to office.

Maduro said June 17 in Italy that he was born in the Los Chaguaramos district of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said the same day that the president is a native of El Valle district, which borders Los Chaguaramos. Tachira Governor Jose Vielma said in April that Maduro is a native of that western Venezuelan state.

Spokesmen for Venezuela’s Information Ministry and presidential office didn’t immediately answer phone calls seeking comment.

A ruling by Colombia’s Supreme Court that Maduro is Colombian would make Maduro ineligible for the presidency.

“This would make it irrelevant whether Maduro was born in Venezuela, Colombia, or anywhere else,” said Diaz. “Under our constitution, president can’t have dual nationality.” - Bloomberg News.

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