Who is Sergio Garrido, the elected governor of Venezuela?

What happened in the elections in Barinas, Venezuela?

3:46

(CNN Spanish) -

Sergio Garrido, a politician from the opposition Democratic Unity Table, managed to take over the governorship of Barinas, a Chavista stronghold since 1998. After the elections in which he defeated former Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, Garrido is now the governor elected from that entity.

With 55.36% of the votes in favor, Garrido, an opposition leader from Barinas, won the election against the ruling candidate, Arreaza, who obtained 41.27% of the votes on January 9.

After knowing his victory, Garrido thanked his followers by raising the flag of Barinas.

Earlier, the atmosphere of celebration invaded the campaign command of Sergio Garrido where the now Governor thanked his followers by raising the flag of Barinas pic.twitter.com/QBFMyLn5FI

- Osmary Hernandez (@osmarycnn) January 10, 2022

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Garrido, a 54-year-old political veteran, was born in the state of Barinas on November 2, 1967. From a young age he has been involved in political processes and has been affiliated with the Democratic Action party, according to the Venezuelan newspaper

in a shared profile .

by the candidate's party, which does not have an official website.

He served at the beginning of his career as a youth leader, as political secretary of the Sectional Executive Committee, and in 2013 he was elected councilor for the municipality of Barinas.

Later, between 2015 and 2016, he was president of the Municipal Council of Barinas, according to

.

In 2021 Garrido was chosen to be the candidate for governor by the Democratic Unity Table after a series of inabilities to other opposition leaders.

"This is a fight more or less to what is written in the Bible, which is the fight between David and Goliath," Garrido told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

"David is the people of Barinas and Goliath are them. David in the end defeated Goliath and this people of Barinas is going to defeat that Goliath that is there, which is the regime."

Barinas is strategic because it stretches on both sides of the border areas, where Colombian illegal armed groups operate, and the central provinces of Venezuela, Rocío San Miguel, president of the Control Ciudadano observatory, told Reuters.

• Sergio Garrido wins the election to the governor of Barinas

They repeat the elections in Barinas 2:45

This is how Sergio Garrido came to this election

Garrido was elected as a candidate for governor of the opposition by the Democratic Unity Table party in December 2021. This after the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice ordered a repeat of the elections to the governor in Barinas after being disabled both the candidate Freddy Superlano, who participated in the November 2021 elections, and later Aurora Silva - Superlano's wife - who was also disqualified from running for the governorship of Barinas.

Garrido, meanwhile, was chosen to be the candidate for governor because on November 21 he had been elected deputy before the Legislative Council as the most voted by the opposition.

"He is a person who is already recognized by the National Electoral Council, who has already been proclaimed, who has already been in session ... so it is also to see if they are capable, if they have the rudeness to also say to the world 'no, no, this he is also disqualified. "If so, practically what the dictatorship wants is for us to ask them who you want our candidate to be," said Superlano, a former candidate for the governorship of Barinas, when announcing in December of last year the candidacy of Graceful.

• They repeat this Sunday controversial election of governor in Barinas, homeland of Hugo Chávez

Superlano: Diosdado Cabello could not beat the results in Barinas 1:14

A campaign in a short time

Surprisingly, in a matter of days, Garrido had to prepare for a new campaign to aspire to the Governor of his native state, representing the opposition alliance that brings together the main opposition parties.

And although he was not the only opposition candidate in that contest - since at least five opposition candidates also participated, although representing minority parties - this January 9 he was the winner of the election in Barinas.

Barinas is a plains state located in western Venezuela, considered a stronghold of Chavismo.

In the regional elections of November 21, 2021, it was one of the disputed territories, but the controversy made it a point of honor for the ruling party that sought to maintain power and a trophy for the opposition that hoped to ratify the trend that Superlano dialed.

- With information from Osmary Hernández.

Barinas Sergio Garrido