Catholic World News News Feature

Pro-Life Leader Most Popular Figure In Venezuela July 17, 1996

CARACAS (CWN) - Irene Saez, mayor of the Venezuelan district of Chacao and a well known pro-life leader, is the most popular political personality in Venezuela and has become one of the strongest candidates for the next presidential race, according to recent polls.

Saez, who is single and voted was Miss Universe in 1981, strongly committed herself to pro-life movements in Latin America since 1982. In 1989, she ran for major of Chacao, an affluent neighborhood in Caracas. After applying what she called "a common sense policy," Saez ran a successful administration and became one of the few local mayors to be reelected by a landslide two years ago.

Saez took advantage of her successful political career to publicly fight against efforts to legalize abortion and participated in several occasions at continental pro-life meetings organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family.

According to "Mercanalisis," the private pollster that carried out the study, Saez leads the list of the most popular political figures in the country and has "enormous possibilities" to become the next president of Venezuela. Saez, so far, has said that "I am not thinking on it, but I have not discard it either."