Liborio Guarulla


Liborio Guarulla Garrido is an indigenous Venezuelan politician.He is of Baniwa ethnicity. He served as governor of Amazonas state from 2001 to 2017.

Early life

Guarulla was born on July 23, 1954 in the Amazonas town of La Isleta, in the Maroa Municipality. He studied at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, graduating with a degree in Visual Arts.

Career

He joined several political parties: MAS, La Causa Radical, and Patria Para Todos; with the latter he won the governorship of his state. A challenge was mounted before the Supreme Court in the 2000 election in which José Bernabé Gutiérrez of the Acción Democrática party was initially declared the winner. After an alleged fraud was demonstrated, the areas in question re-voted, and Guarulla won for the 2001–2005 period, and was re-elected for the 2005–2009 and 2009–2014 periods. Guarulla worked with other opposition leaders to form a unity candidate to challenge Hugo Chávez for the presidency. He separated from the party Patria para todos and formed the progressivist party MPV. In the election, Chavez beat opposition candidate Henrique Capriles.

Dabucuri-Curse

In the context of the 2017 Venezuelan protests, which started when the Supreme Tribunal of Justice closed the parliament, Guarulla was barred from office for 15 years. In consequence of that decision, Guarulla cursed those responsible.
«I will invoke the power of my ancestors and my shamans so that the curse of the Dabukuri falls upon those who have tried to do us evil, I assure you that you won’t die without torment. I assure you that before you die you will begin to suffer and that your soul will wander through the darkest and most pestilent places before you can, somehow, close your eyes».
The curse was executed on May 17, 2017 at the end of the March Of The Shamans in Puerto Ayacucho, the capital of Amazonas.

Personal life

Guarulla is married to Judith Campos and has two children, Pumeyawa Guarulla and Liborio Guarulla Umawaly.