Bertucci founded the evangelical movement “The Gospel Changes” (Evangelio Cambia) which according to their website has 110,000 volunteers in Venezuela and representation in 34 other countries. Bertucci entered politics for the first time in January 2018, claiming to be the “light in the darkness” when he launched his presidential bid. In concordance with the Venezuelan constitution, he left his job as a pastor at the Maranatha Church whilst he runs for president. In 2010, Bertucci was convicted of aggravated smuggling and criminal association when he allegedly tried to ship 5,000 tonnes of Venezuelan diesel to the Dominican Republic. He can however hope to draw on recent evangelical political success throughout the region, which has seen the rise of figures like ultra-right Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro as well as Costa Rican evangelical singer Fabricio Alvarado, who was defeated in a presidential run-off on April 1.