Portuguesa State, for example, illustrates well the autocratic maneuver served by PSUV party primaries. Among the 20 pre-candidates nominated by the UBCHs on June 27, 2021, popular candidate Luis Soteldo likely had a high probability of winning the EPA nomination for governor of Portuguesa. In Guanare, Portuguesa’s capital city, Soteldo-sponsored candidate Mariana Lerín claimed 95 percent of the UBCHs’ nominations to compete for the city’s mayorship at the EPAs. Together, both popular pre-candidates demonstrated their respective capabilities to mobilize and organize the party and regime supporters regionally. Nonetheless, the PSUV National Directorate removed them from the pre-candidates list, effectively banning them from the EPAs. While both candidates stand accused of buying UBCH votes by giving away food, motorcycles, and even dollars, they also threatened the interests of key PSUV elites in Portuguesa State by aligning with some influential personalities over others.
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