Venezuela Elections

It's the crime issue, pure and simple. Chavez has been trying to reform the police forces (who sided with the opposition in the 2002 coup), but without much luck. Plus, Venezuela has not followed other Central and South American countries in paramilitarizing their response to the hemisphere wide crime epidemic which has led to atrocious human rights violations from Mexico, Jamaica, and Colombia to Brazil.

Still, 17 out of 23 governorships is still pretty good for 10 years in office. What of course the biased press doesn't mention is that the PSUV still won 6 million votes to the opposition's 4 million, maintaining the same split of past elections.

It's funny to see how to media focuses on certain elections and slants them a certain way, but ignores others in a clear ideological thrust. I've seen more coverage of Venezuela then the entirely fleeting attention paid to the Canadian election in the international press.

The significance of the socialist victory is clear if we put it in a comparative historical context:

1) Few if any government parties in Europe, North or South American have retained such high levels of popular support in free and open elections.

2) The PSUV retained its high level of support in the context of several radical economic measures, including the nationalization of major cement, steel, financial and other private capitalist monopolies.

3) The Socialists won despite the 70% decline in oil prices (from $140 to $52 dollars a barrel), Venezuela’s principle source of export earnings, and largely because the government maintained most of its funding for its social programs.

4) The electorate was more selective in its voting decisions regarding Chavista candidates – rewarding candidates who performed adequately in providing government services and punishing those who ignored or were unresponsive to popular demands. While President Chavez campaigned for all the Socialist candidates, voters did not uniformly follow his lead where they had strong grievances against local Chavista incumbents, as was the case with outgoing Governor Disdado Cabello of Miranda and the Mayor of the Capital District of Caracas. Socialist victories were mostly the result of a deliberate, class interest based vote and not simply a reflex identification with President Chavez.

5) The decisive victory of the PSUV provides the basis for confronting the deepening collapse of world capitalism with socialist measures, instead of pouring state funds to rescue bankrupt capitalist banks, commercial and manufacturing enterprises. The collapse of capitalism facilitates the socialization of most of the key economic sectors. Most Venezuelan firms are heavily indebted to the state and local banks. The Chavez government can ask the firms to repay their debts or handover the keys – in effect bringing about a painless and eminently legal transition to socialism.

- [url=http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/victory-for-venezuela%e2%80%99s-so... Petras[/u][/url]

Quote:

In the aftermath of the November 23 regional elections, Venezuela’s right-wing opposition has launched, in the states it won, an all-out assault on grassroots community organisations.

President Hugo Chavez and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won a clear mandate in the elections for the project to build socialism of the 21st century: the PSUV won 17 states with 5,730,774 votes nationwide, compared to the opposition’s 3,948,912 votes. The opposition’s vote was concentrated in key strategic areas, giving them the governorships of five states and the mayor of Greater Caracas.

In the days following the elections, grassroots activists in Caracas, Miranda and Tachira have reported that [b]the public community health clinics (part of Barrio Adentro, the free universal healthcare program), communal councils and other centres where social programs operate are being shut down or attacked by opposition party,[/b] despite the public assurances of at least one right-wing govenor-elect that the legal frameworks would be respected.

Venezuelan radio station YKVE Mundial reported on November 25 that [b]“people sent by the new authorities of the governorship of Miranda arrived in the early hours of the morning in Baruta, to an Integral Diagnostic Centre [public health clinics], where they shut down a House of Popular Power” where the local grassroots communal councils operate.[/b] Cleira Ruiz, local coordinator of Mission Ribas in Mariche, reported that [b]people from the far-right Justice First party harassed the centre, and tried to remove the people inside and take the keys.[/b]

Gerson Rivas, a representative of Fundacommunal (communal bank) in the municipality of Guaicaipuro in the state of Miranda, reported that Cuban doctors were being intimidated by Justice First supporters, who were threatening to kick them out of the Barrio Adentro modules.

William Castillo, vice-president of Venezolana de Televisión, reported that groups have also tried to attack the Caracas office of alternative television channel Avila TV.

[b]More disturbingly, three election candidates, all activists in Venezuela's national trade union peak body, the UNT, were brutally murdered two days after the elections.[/b]

From the state of Tachira, won by the right wing, Ana Rivero reported to YVKE Mundial that, although the new governor, Cesar Perez, had not yet assumed his position, [b]“functionaries” had ordered coordinators of the missions to leave the state schools where the missions operate, and that this order is being applied across the whole state.[/b] She said that classes in Mission Ribas in the school Timoteo Chacón de Santa Ana, in the municipality of Cordoba, where she studies, have been suspended until they can find another location.

María Malpica, the PSUV mayor-elect in Colon municipality in Zulia, reported that riots were being promoted by the opposition with the aim of preventing her from taking office, and that eight people were injured in the clashes.

YKVE Mundial reported that street battles broke out in Los Teques, the capital of Miranda, on November 26. Carmen Bermúdez, who witnessed the incident, told YKVE Mundial that [b]the violence erupted when right-wing governor-elect Capriles Radonski arrived in Plaza Bolivar in Los Teques accompanied by men on motorbikes and police from the municipalities of Rosales and Carrizal. The police and Capriles’ private thugs violently attacked people congregated in the plaza for the inauguration of the new PSUV mayor of Los Teques, Alirio Mendoza.[/b]

As well, workers in the Integral Diagnostic Centre in Los Dos Caminos in Sucre municipality reported on November 27 that [b]members of Justice First have threatened to burn down the building and are circulating a petition to remove the Cuban doctors. Similar incidents have been reported in Carabobo. In the state of Barinas, which was won by the PSUV, opposition groups have launched violent attacks, refusing to accept the outcome of the vote.[/b]

In 2002 the Venezuelan opposition, backed by the United States, launched a military coup against the democratically elected Chavez government. However, the coup was defeated within 48 hours by a mass uprising of workers and the poor, together with rank-and-file soldiers.

In Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution, major social gains for the poor and working people have been won by the grassroots movements together with the pro-people polices promoted by Chavez. Extensive education programs have eradicated illiteracy and the introduction of universal healthcare has meant that many poor Venezuelans have been able to visit a doctor for the first time. Under wealth redistribution policies factories have been nationalised and put under workers’ control, and unused land has been distributed to peasants.

The US government has given millions of dollars to Venezuela’s opposition groups in an effort to roll back the democratic revolution in Venezuela. [b]These latest attacks are part of a broader strategy to get rid of Chavez and reassert imperialist control of the nation.[/b]

Responding to the opposition attacks, Jesse Chacon, the PSUV candidate for Sucre, told VTV on November 25 that, “Any attempt to roll back what the people have conquered is going to generate conflict, because the people are organised … The people will not allow it!" In a televised speech on November 27, Chavez also responded, stating that the national government and the armed forces, together with the people, would act to defend the missions and social services.

The minister for justice has also made public statements to clarify the obligations and role within the state of the governors-elect, including that they must not abuse the power invested in them. El Aissami specifically reminded the newest governors-elect of the importance of not abusing police powers.

The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network stands in solidarity with President Chavez and the grassroots Bolivarian movement against the right wing’s latest attacks. We call for the democratic process in Venezuela to be respected by the new oppostion governors, and for an end to all United States interference in Venezuela’s sovereign affairs.

Stop the opposition attacks in Venezuela!
Stop US intervention in Venezuela!

[url=http://links.org.au/node/766][u]A statement from the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network, November 28, 2008[/u][/url]

Quote:

"During the campaign, Mr. Chávez called opponents “traitors” and
“swine,”

That sort of thing is SOP in Venezuela where people make a pastime of insulting each other-nothing personal but if you take it personally and can't come up with better/nastier insults you lose.

Not the most pleasant of places is Venezuela.

Thanks for the great posts Spector. Best coverage of these elections around! Pity its so at odds with what most people will be reading.

Fred Fuentes wrote:

The Chavista vote rose from just over 4 million last year to more than 5.5 million this year, an important recovery of support although only half way to the 7 million votes for Chávez in 2006.

Especially significant are the nearly 5 million votes cast for the PSUV itself, confirming that it is the primary political force in Venezuela, less than a year after it was formally constituted. The PSUV held primary elections for its candidates, involving 2.5 million people, the first time this has occurred in Venezuela’s history.

Chávez called for the formation of the PSUV after his 2006 victory, to unite the dispersed revolutionary forces and create a badly needed political instrument to lead the process towards socialism. The party was formally launched only this year.

The lack of such a party contributed to the defeat of the constitutional reform campaign in 2007.

Previously, the Bolivarian process had to rely on the amorphous electoral machine of the Movement for the Fifth Republic (MVR) — viewed by much of the ranks as a vehicle for opportunists — and on several smaller parties.

In addition to the PSUV vote, 500,000 votes went to candidates from other parties that are part of the of the pro-Chávez Patriotic Alliance that involves the PSUV.

A number of dissident Chavista  candidates who stood against PSUV candidates garnered just over 400,000 votes. These were either candidates that didn’t win PSUV pre-selection or candidates of the Communist Party of Venezuela or the Homeland for All party. Both of these parties have declined to join the PSUV, but take part in the Patriotic Alliance. While some such candidates expressed left-wing discontent with the PSUV, most hold political positions counterposed to the revolutionary process.

Their comparatively low vote indicates a general rejection of attempts to pose a pro-Chávez alternative outside the PSUV.

As for the candidates of the rightist opposition, they tallied just over 4.1 million votes, a drop of almost 10% from the 2007 referendum.

[url=http://www.socialistvoice.ca/?p=350][u]Socialist Voice[/u][/url]

If you are reading this, you have just proved once again how annoying signatures/tag lines are. Support their abolition.

There's a good chance he's right.

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Maduro Wins Venezuelan Presidential Elections With 50.66 Percent of the Vote

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/8626

"Nicolas Maduro has won the Venezuelan presidential election with 50.66 percent of the vote against 49.07 percent for opposition canadidate Henrique Capriles Radonski. Maduro gave a victory speech immediately after, while Capriles initially refused to recognize the results.

Nicolas Maduro received a total of 7,505,338 votes, against 7,270,403 for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, a difference of 234,935 votes. Total turnout was 78.71 percent of the electorate. Given the closeness of the vote, Maduro's speech focused mainly on ensuring the validity of his victory and the reliability of the electoral body.

'If they want to do an audit we have complete trust in our electoral body,' he said from outside the presidential palaace. CNE Rector Vincente Diaz immediately requested that 100 percent of the electoral results be audited in order to make the results more transparent..."

'Number One US Target', Oliver Stone Calls Media Coverage of Venezuela 'Shameful'

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/8623

"I would say that Venezuela is the number one target of the US media and the State Department that exists today. THe covert actions that are going on in Venezuela are very scary. I don't want to be in Nicolas Maduro's shoes..."

Turnout was over 80% in the October election.  Wonder if the closeness of the vote compared to then is due, in part, to the dropoff.

Venezuela's Capriles Refuses to Accept Maduro Victory Until Election Audit (and vid)

http://rt.com/news/venezuela-presidential-election-results-853/

"...Capriles stated that his party had reports of over 3,200 irregularities in the voting process and said that Maduro really lost the election..."

US Favors Destabilized Venezuela (and vid)

http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/04/15/298363/us-favors-destabilized-v...

"A Latin America expert tells Press TV that the United States is engaged in 'destabilization efforts' against Venezuela. Interview with Gloria Estela La Riva."

josh wrote:

Turnout was over 80% in the October election.  Wonder if the closeness of the vote compared to then is due, in part, to the dropoff.

I was walking along Peel St. in Montreal midday Sunday when I came across a big crowd of flag-waving Venezuelans, assumed it was the national day celebration or something, and congratulated one woman ... dunno if she thought I was pro or anti-Chavez....