| Revision as of 05:49, 24 October 2023 editWMrapids (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers7,017 edits Update. Moved some info into appropriate sections. Long, unsourced list of mayoral information was removed, though the rest was placed in appropriate section.Tag: Visual edit← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 00:28, 6 November 2024 edit undoFarolif (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users15,783 edits some more cleanup | ||
| (17 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown) | |||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{Infobox officeholder | {{Infobox officeholder | ||
| | name = David Smolansky |
| name = David Smolansky | ||
| | image = |
| image = Image DS.jpg | ||
| | caption = | | caption = | ||
| | birth_name = David Smolansky Urosa | |||
| | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|5|27|df= |
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|5|27|df=n}} | ||
| | birth_place = ], ] | | birth_place = ], ] | ||
| | residence = | | residence = | ||
| | |
| office = Mayor of ] | ||
| | |
| term_start = 8 December 2013 | ||
| | |
| term_end = 9 August 2017 | ||
| | |
| predecessor = Myriam Do Nascimento | ||
| | |
| successor = Reinaldo Díaz | ||
| | office2 = | |||
| | term_start2 = | |||
| | term_end = | |||
| | party = ]<br>(Popular Will) | | party = ]<br>(Popular Will) | ||
| |religion = | |||
| | spouse = | | spouse = | ||
| | children = | | children = | ||
| |alma_mater |
| alma_mater = {{nobr|]}}<br/>] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''David Smolansky Urosa''' (born May 27 1985) is a ]n political leader and deputy director of the ConVzla Presidential Campaign representing the opposition democratic leader, ], and President-Elect, ] in Washington D.C. He served as Mayor of ] in ], and was the former Special Envoy of the ] for the Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Smolansky is an SNF Agora Institute fellow at ], where he serves as a visiting professor, researcher, and speaker on democracy, migration, and global authoritarianisms. Smolansky is also a senior fellow at the ]. | |||
| ==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
| ⚫ | Smolansky was born in Caracas, Venezuela in May 1985. He is a second generation descendant of immigrants who left the Communist bloc. His grandparents fled ] when it was part of the ] and settled in ] where they lived for 43 years; in 1970 they escaped from Cuba to Venezuela when his father was 13 years old. The son of a ] father and a ] mother, he received a multicultural and multireligious family education.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} | ||
| ⚫ | Smolansky is a second generation descendant of immigrants who left the Communist bloc. His grandparents fled ] when it was part of the ] and settled in ] where they lived for 43 years; in 1970 they escaped from Cuba to Venezuela when his father was 13 years old. The son of a ] father and a ] mother, he received a multicultural and multireligious family education.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} | ||
| ==Education== | ==Education== | ||
| Smolansky received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the ], and a Master's degree in International Public Policy from the ]. He also served as a visiting fellow of the Competitiveness Leadership Program at ], and a Draper Hills Fellow at ] ]. Smolansky is currently an SNF Agora institute fellow at ], where he serves as a visiting professor, researcher, and speaker on democracy, migration, and global authoritarianism. | |||
| Smolansky completed elementary school and high school in U.E. Colegio El Penon (IEA), received his degree in journalism at the ], then did a master's degree in Political Science at ]. He later received a scholarship in ] for the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} | |||
| ==Political career== | ==Political career== | ||
| '''Beginnings in politics''' | |||
| === Student Movement === | |||
| Smolansky began his public appearances as one of the college students who led |
Smolansky began his public appearances as one of the college students who led protests against the kidnapping and murder of the Faddoul brothers in Caracas. Subsequently, he became one of the leaders of the student movement that protested the closure of Radio Caracas Television (]) to claim the right to freedom of expression which would afterwards win the elections in 2007, in which was rejected Venezuelan President ]' proposal to reform the Constitution. In 2009, the elections known as Constitutional Referendum 2009 occurred in which Smolansky actively participated from the student leadership in the months before the elections, in the various protests and student demonstrations in rejection of the presidential proposal and the election day with the deployment to serve as board members and witnesses.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | === Popular Will Party and Democratic Unity Roundtable === | ||
| After having completed his studies, he began his political career in the beginnings of the Democratic Unity Roundtable where he joined its communications team. At the same time, in 2009 he became a founding member of the Popular Will Party in which he served as national manager of the youth division and was subsequently chosen as a member of the national leadership of the party with more than 60 thousand votes in open primaries (being the second highest vote). Being a Popular Will activist and a member of the Popular Democratic Unity Roundtable, he actively participated in the 2012 electoral processes, both primary and presidential and then regional.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | After having completed his studies, he began his political career in the beginnings of the Democratic Unity Roundtable where he joined its communications team. At the same time, in 2009 he became a founding member of the Popular Will Party in which he served as national manager of the youth division and was subsequently chosen as a member of the national leadership of the party with more than 60 thousand votes in open primaries (being the second highest vote). Being a Popular Will activist and a member of the Popular Democratic Unity Roundtable, he actively participated in the 2012 electoral processes, both primary and presidential and then regional.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| === Mayor of El Hatillo === | |||
| ⚫ | On 14 July 2013, primary elections were done inside the Popular Will Party for the office of mayor in ], faced David Smolansky against Eduardo Battistini, winning with 514 votes against 350, translated into 59%. Later that year, in December elections were participating Miguel Mariño for the Venezuela's United Socialist Party, Elias Sayegh for Primero Justicia party, Diana D'Agostini for Accion Democratica party and David Smolansky for the Popular Will party; the last three were all candidates for the Democratic Unity Roundtable coalition (DUR), this was due El Hatillo being the only municipality within the metropolitan area of Caracas where there was no consensus on a single candidate by the DUR. Smolansky was victorious with 13,607 votes or 44.24% and a comfortable margin of 12.8 points over Sayegh who obtained 9,567 votes (31.11%), both above Mariño who would get the third place with 3,520 votes or 11.44%.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| ⚫ | On 14 July 2013, primary elections were done inside the Popular Will Party for the office of |
||
| On 8 December 2013 he was elected El Hatillo municipality's Mayor for the period 2014–2018. In October, 2014 the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was unveiled after consultation processes using a Participative Budget, tours and meetings with the different communities; the purpose of the Municipal Development Plan was to guide management so that there's no room for improvisation, not only sets out the main goals, but also how they should be fulfilled (referring to transparency, participation and use of modern technology) and how to get to them (human capital and financial sustainability). Smolansky has placed particular emphasis on generating strategic alliances with the private sector, the NGO sector and universities. So far they have materialized over 200 alliances that result in improved quality of life for hatillanos and greater institutional development for the municipality.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | On 8 December 2013 he was elected El Hatillo municipality's Mayor for the period 2014–2018. In October, 2014 the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was unveiled after consultation processes using a Participative Budget, tours and meetings with the different communities; the purpose of the Municipal Development Plan was to guide management so that there's no room for improvisation, not only sets out the main goals, but also how they should be fulfilled (referring to transparency, participation and use of modern technology) and how to get to them (human capital and financial sustainability). Smolansky has placed particular emphasis on generating strategic alliances with the private sector, the NGO sector and universities. So far they have materialized over 200 alliances that result in improved quality of life for hatillanos and greater institutional development for the municipality.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| '''Recent Years''' | |||
| In 2014, following his election as mayor, he was one of the founders of the Mayors Association for Venezuela, as a member of the directive, which aims to make common front ( including all mayors belonging to the Roundtable) against problems of the country, marked by the Association itself as " fighting together against government measures that are dragging Venezuela into the abyss".In October, 2015, David Smolansky received the Heinz Sonntag Youth Prize 2015-2017 awarded by the Hannah Arendt Observatory in recognition of his career and perseverance in the defense of democratic values and peace. In November, he won the Outstanding Young Political World 2015 award, presented in the city of Kazanawa in Japan for his performance in local management and also for defending Venezuelan freedom.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | In 2014, following his election as mayor, he was one of the founders of the Mayors Association for Venezuela, as a member of the directive, which aims to make common front ( including all mayors belonging to the Roundtable) against problems of the country, marked by the Association itself as " fighting together against government measures that are dragging Venezuela into the abyss".In October, 2015, David Smolansky received the Heinz Sonntag Youth Prize 2015-2017 awarded by the Hannah Arendt Observatory in recognition of his career and perseverance in the defense of democratic values and peace. In November, he won the Outstanding Young Political World 2015 award, presented in the city of Kazanawa in Japan for his performance in local management and also for defending Venezuelan freedom.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| Line 57: | Line 52: | ||
| Given the persecution in recent years of activists, politicians and especially mayors and former mayors who oppose the government of Nicolas Maduro, Smolansky has placed special emphasis on the defense of political prisoners and decentralization in Venezuela. Currently in Venezuela there are about 77 mayors from the political opposition with open legal proceedings, of which David Smolansky is one of them.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | Given the persecution in recent years of activists, politicians and especially mayors and former mayors who oppose the government of Nicolas Maduro, Smolansky has placed special emphasis on the defense of political prisoners and decentralization in Venezuela. Currently in Venezuela there are about 77 mayors from the political opposition with open legal proceedings, of which David Smolansky is one of them.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} | ||
| == Persecution and exile == | |||
| In February 2019, ] presented the former mayor ("one of the youngest mayors in Venezuelan history") to a ] crowd of fellow Venezuelan expatriates with the following words:<blockquote>"Sadly, David is the third generation of his family to flee the agony of ] and ]. David’s grandparents fled the Soviet Union in 1927, and his father fled communist Cuba in 1970."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remarks by President Trump to the Venezuelan American Community – The White House |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-venezuelan-american-community/ |website=trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov}}</ref> </blockquote>The US president added that<blockquote>"As David said, 'The difference I want to have from my father and grandfather is to go back to my country.' 'My grandparents never went back to ]… my father has not been back to ]. I hope I can return to Venezuela.' I think that will happen, David.”</blockquote> | |||
| ⚫ | Smolansky was forced into exile in 2017, after the regime-controlled Supreme Court issued Smolansky with an illegal arrest warrant, voided his passport, removed him from office, and arbitrarily banned him from holding public positions.<ref> {{Cite news |date=8 December 2017 |title=On the run: How one opposition mayor fled Venezuela |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42270859}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-17 |title=Brazil, US officials meet Venezuela opposition leaders |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190117-brazil-us-officials-meet-venezuela-opposition-leaders |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Martínez |first=Carlos Eduardo |date=2023-09-30 |title=La oposición venezolana apuesta por los votantes en el exilio como la clave que definirá las elecciones presidenciales |url=https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2023/09/30/la-oposicion-venezolana-apuesta-por-los-votantes-en-el-exilio-como-la-clave-que-definira-las-elecciones-presidenciales/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=] |language=es-ES}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=Maduro acusa a dirigentes de la oposición venezolana de estar detrás de redes de coyotes |url=https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/venezuela-maduro-acusa-a-dirigentes-politicos-de-oposicion-de-estar-detras-de-redes-de-coyotes-/7303994.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=] |language=es}}</ref> | ||
| During a speech by ] at the ] in May 2023, ] protested in the audience while Guaidó spoke, with Smolansky grabbing a protester, throwing him out of the area through a set of doors and then shouting "Those fucking wankers don't know what is to be in Venezuela".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=(+Video) Activistas interrumpen charla de Guaidó en Washington al grito de |url=https://www.globovision.com/nacional/5876/activistas-interrumpen-charla-de-guaido-en-washington-al-grito-de-mentiroso |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=] |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendez |first=Kharelys |date=2023-05-04 |title=EN VIDEO {{!}} Activistas chavistas le gritan a Guaidó "mentiroso" en una charla en EEUU y Smolansky los saca del lugar |url=https://tucaraota.com/mundo/en-video-activistas-chavistas-le-gritan-a-guaido-mentiroso-en-una-charla-en-eeuu-y-smolansky-los-saca-del-lugar/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Caraota Digital |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-05-04 |title=Charla de Juan Guaidó en Washington fue interrumpida por manifestantes |url=https://doralvoice.com/charla-de-juan-guaido-en-washington-fue-interrumpida-por-manifestantes/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Doral Voice |language=es}}</ref> | |||
| In October 2023, President ] accused Smolansky and other Popular Will politicians of being involved in profiting from the ] of Venezuelan migrants.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
| == Awards and recognition == | == Awards and recognition == | ||
| Smolansky was recognized by the ] as World's Outstanding Young Politician 2015.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} He was |
Smolansky was recognized by the ] as World's Outstanding Young Politician 2015. In the same year, he won the Heinz-Sontag Award for Youth from the Hannah Arendt Observatory in Venezuela.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} He was identified by '']'' as one of the ten leaders who would help rebuild Venezuela after the present regime.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Winter |first=Brian |title=10 People Who Will (One Day) Rebuild Venezuela: The Oil Politician |url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/politician-david-smolansky |journal=Americas Quarterly |date=18 April 2018}}</ref> In 2018, he was recognized with the Global Competitiveness Leadership Impact award<ref>{{cite web |title=David Smolansky, Winner of 2018 GCL Impact Award |url=https://lalp.georgetown.edu/news/david-smolansky-winner-of-2018-gcl-impact-award |date=23 February 2018 |publisher=Georgetown University |work=Latin America Leadership Program}}</ref> by ]. | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 70: | Line 62: | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Smolansky, David}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Smolansky, David}} | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:28, 6 November 2024
Venezuelan politicianIn this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Smolansky and the second or maternal family name is Urosa.
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| David Smolansky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of El Hatillo Municipality | |
| In office 8 December 2013 – 9 August 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Myriam Do Nascimento |
| Succeeded by | Reinaldo Díaz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Smolansky Urosa (1985-05-27) 27 May 1985 (age 39) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Political party | Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) |
| Alma mater | Andrés Bello Catholic University Johns Hopkins University |
David Smolansky Urosa (born May 27 1985) is a Venezuelan political leader and deputy director of the ConVzla Presidential Campaign representing the opposition democratic leader, Maria Corina Machado, and President-Elect, Edmundo Gonzalez in Washington D.C. He served as Mayor of El Hatillo Municipality in Caracas, and was the former Special Envoy of the Organization of American States for the Venezuelan migration and refugee crisis.
Smolansky is an SNF Agora Institute fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he serves as a visiting professor, researcher, and speaker on democracy, migration, and global authoritarianisms. Smolansky is also a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Early life
Smolansky was born in Caracas, Venezuela in May 1985. He is a second generation descendant of immigrants who left the Communist bloc. His grandparents fled Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union and settled in Cuba where they lived for 43 years; in 1970 they escaped from Cuba to Venezuela when his father was 13 years old. The son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, he received a multicultural and multireligious family education.
Education
Smolansky received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Andres Bello Catholic University, and a Master's degree in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He also served as a visiting fellow of the Competitiveness Leadership Program at Georgetown University, and a Draper Hills Fellow at Stanford University Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Smolansky is currently an SNF Agora institute fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he serves as a visiting professor, researcher, and speaker on democracy, migration, and global authoritarianism.
Political career
Student Movement
Smolansky began his public appearances as one of the college students who led protests against the kidnapping and murder of the Faddoul brothers in Caracas. Subsequently, he became one of the leaders of the student movement that protested the closure of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) to claim the right to freedom of expression which would afterwards win the elections in 2007, in which was rejected Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' proposal to reform the Constitution. In 2009, the elections known as Constitutional Referendum 2009 occurred in which Smolansky actively participated from the student leadership in the months before the elections, in the various protests and student demonstrations in rejection of the presidential proposal and the election day with the deployment to serve as board members and witnesses.
Popular Will Party and Democratic Unity Roundtable
After having completed his studies, he began his political career in the beginnings of the Democratic Unity Roundtable where he joined its communications team. At the same time, in 2009 he became a founding member of the Popular Will Party in which he served as national manager of the youth division and was subsequently chosen as a member of the national leadership of the party with more than 60 thousand votes in open primaries (being the second highest vote). Being a Popular Will activist and a member of the Popular Democratic Unity Roundtable, he actively participated in the 2012 electoral processes, both primary and presidential and then regional.
Mayor of El Hatillo
On 14 July 2013, primary elections were done inside the Popular Will Party for the office of mayor in El Hatillo, faced David Smolansky against Eduardo Battistini, winning with 514 votes against 350, translated into 59%. Later that year, in December elections were participating Miguel Mariño for the Venezuela's United Socialist Party, Elias Sayegh for Primero Justicia party, Diana D'Agostini for Accion Democratica party and David Smolansky for the Popular Will party; the last three were all candidates for the Democratic Unity Roundtable coalition (DUR), this was due El Hatillo being the only municipality within the metropolitan area of Caracas where there was no consensus on a single candidate by the DUR. Smolansky was victorious with 13,607 votes or 44.24% and a comfortable margin of 12.8 points over Sayegh who obtained 9,567 votes (31.11%), both above Mariño who would get the third place with 3,520 votes or 11.44%.
On 8 December 2013 he was elected El Hatillo municipality's Mayor for the period 2014–2018. In October, 2014 the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) was unveiled after consultation processes using a Participative Budget, tours and meetings with the different communities; the purpose of the Municipal Development Plan was to guide management so that there's no room for improvisation, not only sets out the main goals, but also how they should be fulfilled (referring to transparency, participation and use of modern technology) and how to get to them (human capital and financial sustainability). Smolansky has placed particular emphasis on generating strategic alliances with the private sector, the NGO sector and universities. So far they have materialized over 200 alliances that result in improved quality of life for hatillanos and greater institutional development for the municipality.
In 2014, following his election as mayor, he was one of the founders of the Mayors Association for Venezuela, as a member of the directive, which aims to make common front ( including all mayors belonging to the Roundtable) against problems of the country, marked by the Association itself as " fighting together against government measures that are dragging Venezuela into the abyss".In October, 2015, David Smolansky received the Heinz Sonntag Youth Prize 2015-2017 awarded by the Hannah Arendt Observatory in recognition of his career and perseverance in the defense of democratic values and peace. In November, he won the Outstanding Young Political World 2015 award, presented in the city of Kazanawa in Japan for his performance in local management and also for defending Venezuelan freedom.
Given the persecution in recent years of activists, politicians and especially mayors and former mayors who oppose the government of Nicolas Maduro, Smolansky has placed special emphasis on the defense of political prisoners and decentralization in Venezuela. Currently in Venezuela there are about 77 mayors from the political opposition with open legal proceedings, of which David Smolansky is one of them.
Persecution and exile
Smolansky was forced into exile in 2017, after the regime-controlled Supreme Court issued Smolansky with an illegal arrest warrant, voided his passport, removed him from office, and arbitrarily banned him from holding public positions.
Awards and recognition
Smolansky was recognized by the Junior Chamber International as World's Outstanding Young Politician 2015. In the same year, he won the Heinz-Sontag Award for Youth from the Hannah Arendt Observatory in Venezuela. He was identified by Americas Quarterly as one of the ten leaders who would help rebuild Venezuela after the present regime. In 2018, he was recognized with the Global Competitiveness Leadership Impact award by Georgetown University.
References
- "On the run: How one opposition mayor fled Venezuela". BBC News. 8 December 2017.
- "Brazil, US officials meet Venezuela opposition leaders". France 24. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- Martínez, Carlos Eduardo (30 September 2023). "La oposición venezolana apuesta por los votantes en el exilio como la clave que definirá las elecciones presidenciales". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- "Maduro acusa a dirigentes de la oposición venezolana de estar detrás de redes de coyotes". Voz de América (in Spanish). 9 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- Winter, Brian (18 April 2018). "10 People Who Will (One Day) Rebuild Venezuela: The Oil Politician". Americas Quarterly.
- "David Smolansky, Winner of 2018 GCL Impact Award". Latin America Leadership Program. Georgetown University. 23 February 2018.