Alfredo Javier Díaz Figueroa (August 3, 1969 – December 6, 2025) was a Venezuelan politician, governor of Nueva Esparta between 2017 and 2021.
Early life and career
Alfredo Díaz Figueroa was born on Margarita Island on August 3, 1969. He completed his higher studies at the Universidad de Oriente (UDO), where he graduated as a technician in tourism business administration.[1] He had been a member of the Democratic Action party since 1995.[2]
On November 23, 2008, Alfredo Díaz won the regional elections for mayor of the municipality of Mariño with 48% of the votes (19,960).[3] On December 8, 2013, he was re-elected mayor of the municipality of Mariño in the municipal elections with 54.35% of the votes (28,032), taking office again as mayor on December 10 of that same year.[4]
On October 15, 2017, he was elected governor of the state of Nueva Esparta with 117,430 votes, equivalent to 51.87% of the total registered in the state. According to the first bulletin of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Carlos Mata Figueroa, of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), obtained 106,783 votes, equivalent to 47.46%. Díaz's candidacy was presented in alliance with other organizations of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). On October 23, 2017, he was sworn in with the National Constituent Assembly to the position he was elected, receiving strong criticism.[5]
Arrest and death
On November 24, 2024, Figueroa was detained[6] after disappearing because of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).[7] His wife, Leynys Malavé, denounced that he was arrested in Ospino, Portuguesa state, when he was traveling by land to leave the country.[8]
Díaz died on December 5, 2025, at the age of 56, while detained at the headquarters of SEBIN, known as El Helicoide, in Caracas.[9]
References
- ^ "Alfredo Díaz, semblanza de un líder..." ww25.diariocaribazo.net. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Alcaldia Santiago Mariño". www.alcaldiasantiagomarino.gob.ve. Archived from the original on 2016-02-07. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Divulgación Elecciones Regionales - 23 de Noviembre de 2008". www.cne.gob.ve. Archived from the original on 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Alfredo Díaz: La gente votó por verdaderos líderes democráticos". elsoldemargarita.com.ve. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Juramento de cuatro gobernadores opositores ante ANC provoca críticas en Venezuela | En la Agenda | 2001.com.ve". 2001.com.ve. Archived from the original on 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Esposa del exgobernador Alfredo Díaz exige explicaciones tras su fallecimiento en El Helicoide: "¿Me lo mataron?"". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Exgobernador Alfredo Díaz tiene más de 24 horas "desaparecido" tras detención del Sebin". Crónica Uno (in Spanish). 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Sin rastros del exgobernador de Nueva Esparta, Alfredo Díaz, tras ser detenido por el régimen de Maduro". NTN24 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Perfil: Alfredo Díaz, el exgobernador de Nueva Esparta cuya salud se quebró en El Helicoide sin asistencia". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). 2025-12-06. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
