With the president of Venezuela firmly in control of the body that oversees elections, with the president exerting tremendous control over the media and freedom of speech, today’s headline should come as no surprise. Imagine if the Democrats or the Republicans won every seat in Congress, such a result would be instantly dismissed as a farce in this country, but in Venezuela just such a result is accepted as a matter of course. In Venezuela parties aligned with Hugo Chavez have won every seat in parliament, giving Chavez unprecedented authority to change the constitution at will. Chavez’ path to dictatorship is now complete.
Opposition parties refused to participate in this weekend’s elections arguing that the cards were stacked against them with unfair election practices being employed by the oversight board. These oppositions groups subsequently encouraged their supporters not to participate in the elections, which accounts for why turnout measured only 25%, with most polling stations virtually empty. Naturally, Chavez accused the United States of being behind the election boycott, but such charges should come as no surprise to Chavez watchers, after all America is to blame for all of Latin America’s problems, right?
While the opposition may argue that this week’s elections lack legitimacy, this will in no way stop Chavez from assuming absolute control of the Venezuelan state. To Chavez’s credit, he has exploited the media with amazing skill, rallying the nation’s poor to his cause once again, even as he fails to deliver on even one single promise. Mussolini would certainly be proud. Under Chavez, the Venezuelan economy has languished, job creation has been abysmal and poverty has increased, but because Chavez is so skilled in the art of distraction, he has managed to convince is constituents that he is somehow their savior. The people of Venezuela, however, will only have themselves to blame. South America has a long tradition of tin pan dictators who promise much, but deliver little and Chavez is the successor to this great tradition.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm
