On February 2, the Wilson Center will be hosting an event to discuss the upcoming primary elections in Venezuela.

On Sunday, February 12, 2012, Venezuela will hold a primary election aimed at defining a single candidate to oppose President Hugo Chávez in presidential elections scheduled for October 7. Venezuela’s fractious opposition has come together in the Mesa de Unidad Democrática (Democratic Unity Table, or MUD) to enhance its chances of unseating Chávez, who faces unprecedented economic, security, and health challenges. Opposition candidates contending in the primary include current front-runner Henrique Capriles Radonski, governor of the state of Miranda (Primero Justicia); Pablo Pérez, governor of Zulia state (Un Nuevo Tiempo); Congresswoman María Corina Machado (former director of the civic organization Súmate); and Leopoldo López, former mayor of the municipality of Chacao (Voluntad Popular).