Image by getty images

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles expressed outrage on Monday at the description of his supporters as “heirs of Hitler” by election rival and acting President Nicolas Maduro.

The buildup to the South American OPEC nation’s April 14 vote has been characterized by highly personalized attacks between both candidates hoping to replace the late Hugo Chavez.

At the weekend, Maduro compared opposition complaints about Cuban doctors working in Venezuela with the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany. “The heirs of Hitler are leading a campaign in Venezuela against the Cuban people,” he said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

At a news conference, Capriles, who is a descendant of Polish Jews on his mother’s side, condemned that remark as intolerant and ignorant.

“Does he know who Hitler was? If he does, then what he said was atrocious, because he’s saying that those who do not think like him are killers,” said Capriles, 40, whose maternal grandparents, the Radonskis, fled anti-Semitism in Poland.

“I think they’re a bit confused and muddled … Everyone should be shown respect by those of us aspiring to govern.”

Both Maduro, a former bus driver and foreign minister named by Chavez as his preferred successor to continue socialism in Venezuela, and Capriles, a centrist state governor, will launch their formal election campaigns on Tuesday.

Polls have given Maduro, 50, a large lead, thanks in part to the wave of sympathy over Chavez’s death from cancer on March 5.

The latest, by local pollster GIS XX1, which is viewed as close to the government, projected that Maduro would win with 55 percent of votes, versus 45 percent for Capriles.

During a lengthy chat with reporters, Capriles also criticized Maduro’s use of state resources for his campaign, and promised a 40 percent rise in the minimum wage to compensate for a devaluation of the local bolivar currency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount