Henry Ramos Allup, the controversial 73 year-old AD Secretary General, has just been selected by MUD deputies to preside the National Assembly in 2016, by 62 votes, vs. 49 for Julio Borges.

[Watch this video from 1:16:30]

Hot Take

Personally, I don’t share the blind fury many younger opposition activists are greeting this with. I’m going to give Henry the benefit of the doubt. Provisionally.

As far as I can see, the rap on Ramos Allup is that he’s old (straight-up ageism), that he’s corrupt (but nobody ever shows any evidence) and that he’s machiavellian (a feature, not a bug.)

I grant that it’s obnoxious that he seems to have turn the Secretary General post at AD into a lifetime sinecure. But the alternative to strong leadership for AD was to go down the path Copei followed: fracturing, disintegrating and ending up taken over by the government like any old MIN.

I think Henry’s talent as a politician is demonstrated by the facts. He took the reins of a party on the path to extinction and he safeguarded its existence at the national level. It’s no coincidence that AD is now the second largest party in the MUD coalition by number of A.N. seats.

If he turns out to be a crook, I’m going to have a great time throwing punches at him.

But today? Not tonight.