He was elected Governor of the state of
Anzoátegui in the
2000 regional elections for the
MVR. He later broke with the MVR and lost to his MVR successor,
Tarek Saab, in the
2004 elections. De Lima was a member of the
Movement for Socialism (MAS) for 32 years, but in 2012 described MAS as "a failed project". De Lima accused his successor as governor,
Tarek Saab, of using his position for political persecution, after Saab's wife accused De Lima of mismanagement. De Lima is a lawyer by training, having graduated from the
Central University of Venezuela in 1987. ==See also==