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+--- Thread: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy (/showthread.php?tid=66937)
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Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - Ted King - 11-25-2008
I had to get to this through a registration wall so the link may not directly work:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/world/americas/25venez.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
CARACAS, Venezuela — From the hardened slums of this city to some of Venezuela’s most populous and economically important states, many of President Hugo Chávez’s supporters deserted him in regional elections, showing it is possible to challenge him in areas where he was once thought invincible.
The outcome of Sunday’s vote was the second blow dealt to the president in a year, after voters rejected last December his plan to alter the Constitution to give himself more power. Although it was unclear whether the results would slow his Socialist-inspired revolution or check his power, they could complicate his ambitions to amend the Constitution to allow him to run again.
Mr. Chávez, who has been in power for 10 years, has focused on raising political consciousness across disenfranchised parts of society. Now, voters in a sizable part of Venezuela sent him a message that they wanted not a monopoly on power, but solutions to economic and social ills that are glaringly apparent on their streets.
Though Mr. Chávez’s allies won 17 of the 22 states in Sunday’s vote, his opponents did well in some poor urban areas, and in states like Zulia, where much of Venezuela’s oil is produced; Carabobo, the home of auto manufacturers and petrochemical plants; and Táchira, rich in agriculture and cattle. Mr. Chávez framed the elections as a plebiscite on his evolving revolutionary ideology, but voters appeared to focus on more mundane concerns like inflation, which at more than 30 percent is the highest rate in Latin America, and fears that an economic boom might be sputtering to an end as oil prices plunge, forcing Mr. Chávez to reconsider his spending plans.
Violent crime, an Achilles’ heel for Mr. Chávez, also weighed heavily on voters. While his government no longer releases detailed homicide statistics, private organizations here put the murder rate in Caracas at about 130 per 100,000, about four times the rate in Medellín, Colombia.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - mick e - 11-25-2008
mick e always thought it was funny when people called Chavez a "dictator". A true dictator seizes powers and controls elections, no?
Venezuela is, in actuality one of the best examples of true democracy in the region.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - Ted King - 11-25-2008
mick e wrote:
mick e always thought it was funny when people called Chavez a "dictator". A true dictator seizes powers and controls elections, no?
Venezuela is, in actuality one of the best examples of true democracy in the region.
Yep, that's why it's good to see signs that there may be resistance to changing their constitution to allow Chavez to continue to run for president. Unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if Chavez were to eventually find a way to stay in power even if they do reject revision to the constitution. I'm afraid that in time he will become essentially a dictator. Maybe my fears are uncalled for, though. That's one thing I'd like to be wrong about.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - OWC Jamie - 11-25-2008
the poor revolted against Perez due to the corruption strife and crime, they will revolt against Chavez as well.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - mick e - 11-25-2008
The point is, they don't need to revolt.
All they need to do is vote.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - OWC Jamie - 11-25-2008
he did try a military coup first.
so there's hope for Iraq ?
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - freeradical - 11-25-2008
billb wrote:
he did try a military coup first.
Sshh....
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - Silencio - 11-25-2008
billb wrote:
he did try a military coup first.
He tried a coup? More like a counter-coup was staged on his behalf, as the military's commander-in-chief briefly deposed Chavez in 2002.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_chavez#2002:_Coup_and_strike.2Flockout
I don't like Chavez much either, but let's please hew to the reality of events.
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - TLB - 11-25-2008
Silencio wrote:
[quote=billb]
he did try a military coup first.
He tried a coup? More like a counter-coup was staged on his behalf, as the military's commander-in-chief briefly deposed Chavez in 2002.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_chavez#2002:_Coup_and_strike.2Flockout
I don't like Chavez much either, but let's please hew to the reality of events.
Check your quoted reference, 10 years earlier in 1992 is what I believe billb was refering to...
Re: Good news - Venezuela may not eventually vote itself out of a democracy - Lux Interior - 11-26-2008
He tried a coup, failed, got thrown in jail and then was elected in 1998 because the incumbent was wildly unpopular.