Peru's New President to Meet Opposition Leader Before Maduro

Back in 2014, the newly-elected president of Peru referred to supporters of President Maduro as crazy.

Despite Peru's right-wing President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski having not yet met the democratically-elected leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, the former World Bank economist will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles during his trip to Lima Thursday.       

Addressing a press conference in the Peruvian capital, Capriles said he is hoping to gain support for the Venezuelan opposition across the continent against the government of Nicolas Maduro.

The former Venezuela presidential candidate warned that any social unrest in his country would have "repercussions throughout the region."

Capriles is currently campaigning for a recall referendum against Maduro. On Wednesday, he said the opposition must continue to utilize regional bodies such as the Organization of American States, OAS, and UNASUR to pressure the democratically elected Maduro to step down from his position.

Capriles has traveled to Peru to ask members of Congress and the government for "solidarity with Venezuela," he added.     

The 44-year-old Capriles, who is acting governor of Miranda, thanked Kuczynski for welcoming him and noted that former President Ollanta Humala decided against meeting him when he was still in power.

President Kuczynski also exchanged social media messages with Capriles just minutes after he was declared winner in the presidential election, calling the opposition leader “a friend.”

Kuczynski previously met Mitzy Capriles, the wife of another opposition leader in Venezuela,

Back in 2014, the newly-elected president of Peru referred to supporters of President Maduro as crazy. “These people are barking up a tree, where there is not even a bird. They are crazy," said Kuczynski.