Who is Freddy Superlano, the Venezuelan leader who was allegedly kidnapped?

Freddy Francisco Superlano is a politician from the Voluntad Popular party. On Tuesday (30), the party made a post on social media showing a video of the moment when the party leader was allegedly kidnapped by government agents.

The politician has a history of clashes with the Nicolás Maduro government and has already had his election annulled by the country’s National Electoral Council.

Superlano declined the nomination for the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primaries in favor of María Corina Machado of the Vente Venezuela organization. Superlano is the founder of that party in his home state of Barinas. He studied two degrees, systems engineering and education, and dedicated himself to teaching for more than 15 years. He later completed a master’s degree in educational management and leadership.

Superlano, 47 years old, is married to Aurora Silva and is the father of six children.

He is currently the national coordinator of Voluntad Popular and has announced his candidacy to replace the former president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who last April went to the United States claiming that he was the victim of persecution and reporting threats against him and his family.
In 2015 he was elected deputy for Barinas, when the opposition won the National Assembly by majority, where he assumed the presidency of the Permanent Oversight Committee during the period 2018 and 2019.

In 2017 he ran for governor of Barinas, but was defeated by Argenis Chávez, brother of the late President Hugo Chávez. Superlano questioned these results.

In 2019, during an attempt to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuelan territory, which was not authorized by the Maduro government, he was involved in a confusing incident in which both he and his cousin and assistant reported being drugged by two women. A member of his family lost their life as a result of the incident.

In 2021, he ran again for governor of Barinas and although in an initial bulletin the National Electoral Council announced that Argenis Chávez was ahead, after completing the countdown, a week later Superlano’s victory was announced. However, the Supreme Court of Justice, surprisingly, announced that he was disqualified from holding public office and that the elections should be repeated.

According to the ruling by the country’s highest court, which cited figures from the Electoral Authority, Superlano obtained 37.6% against 37.21% for the candidate from the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The CNE did not provide any explanation as to how he managed to register his candidacy, campaign and make it to election day if he were disqualified.