MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chavez wins another six years; massive 81% turnout of registered voters
President Hugo Chavez won re-election on Sunday, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles, Venezuela's electoral council said. With most votes counted, Chavez had more than 54% of the vote, and Capriles had 45%, National Electoral Council President Tibisay Lucena said. Turnout was 81% of the nearly 19 million registered voters. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesYour lots frustration is palpable... :)
Oct 08th, 2012 - 05:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0Quite pleased about this, want to see how this experiment plays out.... gets popcorn and beer
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0What frustration? I think the general reaction is “Meh”. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Let's hope victory means he won't be twisting the minds of young kids for a while at least:
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:31 am - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/17/us-venezuela-election-idUSBRE88G1FV20120917
“Chavez, you are the heart of the people,” said one toddler, echoing the government's principal campaign slogan.
3
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0As I said, it's palpable, no need for you to admit anything...
Next is the re-election of Cristina in Argentina. Take it from me, that's going to happen :)
@4 Fingers crossed ;) No one creates more entertainment value.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0I have noticed, over the years, that in every country where the sitting president is seriously at risk of losing in a 'fair' election, he always seems to win by 55% to 45% (+/- 1%).
Oct 08th, 2012 - 08:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Or maybe I just get cynical in my old age ... or a bad loser.
I fear we must wait significantly longer for one of the richest nations on earth to translate the wealth beneath the ground into a developed world nation.
Sigh!
I wonder how many weeks ago Chavez decided the margin would be 54-45%.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 09:15 am - Link - Report abuse 06 years?
Oct 08th, 2012 - 09:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0OK .. serious question .... what is going to happen when he pops his clogs? Another election or just promote his offsider?
@4 Cristina is going to be re-elected huh? Last I saw her approval ratings are hovering somewhere around 24% I also saw that inflation rates are around the same figure while the government insists that they are only at 10% Anyone who says otherwise is fined tens of thousands of dollars (or hundreds of millions of Pesos given how that currency is doing). Real democratic, real nice...
Oct 08th, 2012 - 10:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0Comment removed by the editor.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 10:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0@ GeoffWard2 - I think that you inadvertently bought into the US propaganda machine regarding the idea of a 1% / close race. The 10% figure was also out there, but from more reliable sources.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 10:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0The Carter Center was monitoring the election. I haven't yet heard what they have to say.
”I have noticed, over the years, that in every country where the sitting president is seriously at risk of losing in a 'fair' election, he always seems to win by 55% to 45% (+/- 1%).”
Oct 08th, 2012 - 11:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0Yeah, winning by a 55-vs-45% is sure proof of vote rigging, people!!!
'I don't Think' aka The Turnip In Chief.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 11:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0WRONG AGAIN THINK
Think (#)Oct 02nd, 2012 - 05:39 pmReport abuse
All the money in my wallet........
A 100 Argentinean pesos bill
16 Argentinean pesos in coins ( no Malvinas coin, sorry)
And a 5 Euro bill Iapparently forgot to put away on a landslide victory of at least 14% for Hugo Chavez next Sunday..........
54% - 45% = 9%
So you owe us all the money.
BTW if only 5.5% more people who voted for Capriles had had their vote included in the ballot he would have defeated Chavez.
Still, now Chavez is in and he loses his adrenelin rush and he must stop the steroids soon, he might still be dead by the end of the year.
But whatever, he won’t be around that much longer.
Chavez is living on borrowed time and is in remission.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 11:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0A cada puerco llega su San Martín
He will not be around forever neither will CFK
If the people of Venezuela voted him in and the election was fair, no complaints.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 11:50 am - Link - Report abuse 0It's their business and they must live with the decision .
Just becuse he won another six year term,
Oct 08th, 2012 - 11:54 am - Link - Report abuse 0does not mean he will still be here in six years time.
As he's a porker it should be pretty obvious when he goes into terminal decline. Looking at him now he has a few years left.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 12:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 017 Idlehands
Oct 08th, 2012 - 12:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Perhaps not.
His tumour was a deep seated one in his groin and pelvic area, a notably difficult one to erradicate and is well recognised as having more fatal outcomes than not.
Also, he is a porker because he has been on steroids for some months now. Not something that would be allowed in the UK for reasons of severe life threatening side effects.
The steroids have the effect of turbo-charging the immune system as well as bloating him up.
This appears to stop the cancer, it is invariably an illusionary effect. Once the steroids are finished terminal decline sets in. The end can be very quick indeed and the time measured in weeks / a very few months.
I have personal experience in my family about this type of cancer. The end is fairly grim as well.
Well they deserve the government they elected...now they have to live with it. I pity the next generation. Just proves that propaganda works (take note Argentina). Keep the people poor and illiterate and you can lead them anywhere.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 12:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I think only US elections elicit as much interest as Venezuelan ones. Chávez has raised his country's profile to a degree no pro-American pup could have achieved.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 01:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This shows you are not welcome in South America.We are united!!pirasites pirates
Oct 08th, 2012 - 02:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Oh please! Was there any real doubt?
Oct 08th, 2012 - 02:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0while im here my congatulations to president cristina kirchner on her totally unpredictable completely democratic re-re-relection with a 56% of the vote in what will also be a free and fair non corrupt election .
Dark Dictocracy Latam style! just add power!
The biggest problem for Venezuela is still coming. When it starts to become evident that most of the things Chavez has done to “bring people out of abject poverty” aren't sustainable. For example, taking oil money to build a shoe factory that produces a paltry number of shoes each month, the employees are standing around most of the day, etc. Inefficient cement plants, this factory, that factory. When you rob Peter to pay Paul to “employ” people, this is incredibly inefficient and even with their oil wealth won't be sustainable. Then, when that starts to become evident and people lose the “jobs” they've been given....that's when the real storm will start for Venezuela. It's unfortunate, because they could and should be a wealthy country. Comrade Chavez' policies won't be good for anybody long term.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 02:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 021 bury-guts
Oct 08th, 2012 - 02:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I thought you lot liked Chavez, now you say he is not welcome in South America!
Make your mind up.
@4 You do realise that the fat, ugly slut's popularity is down to 24%, don't you? Figures NOT supplied by INDEC. Perhaps she should hope her popularity keeps pace with inflation. Hahahaha. However, when the IMF issues that “red card” in December and no-one wants to lend her any money. When the peso-dollar exchange rate gets to 10:1, when it's a big day when the power is switched ON. IF argieland gets its boat back. Let's see how popular she is then. Perhaps there'll be a “miracle” at Xmas.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 02:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@21 But we're not in South America. “We're” in the South Atlantic. Get the difference? America. Atlantic. Different words with different meanings. But, moving on, how a dictator getting himself re-elected by buying, rigging the vote prove anything?
@23 Didn't Venezuela used to be wealthy? Before Chavez seized power!
Too bad, I had hoped to get an answer to the question of if Hugo would go peacefully, now he will likely die in office - he sure doesn't look very healthy.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 03:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The interesting thing about the Venezuelan election is that 3.6 million voters did NOT vote, 7.4 million voted for Chávez, and 6.1 million voted for Capriles. This means that there are really three Venezuelas, one that supports the mad dreams of Chávez, one that is fairly middle of the road but leaning to the left and a smaller one that presumably is leaning far to the right.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 03:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I wonder if Chávez has the sense to try to unite the three Venezuelas, or will he go on with the strategy of dividing his people?
@20 That is true.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 03:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@23 That is all true, but Venezuela has so much oil, they can keep squandering for many years to come before that chick comes home to roost.
@25 She's not fat.
@27 Simon
From here on he will start to prepare the road for his successor.
There are enough international observers monitoring the voting to conclude that the election itself was fair. The undemocratic interference comes in the form of the presidential platform, restricting of the press, etc that Chavez uses to give unfair advantage. Most people can see through that stuff when they want to. If they don’t want to yet then good for them.
The problem for the region is that Chavez loves to meddle in other countries.
Congratulations to the Venezuelan people for another demonstration of commitment to Democracy and civic responsibility.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 03:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 027# why do you revert to analysing the voting figures when what counts is what the results say,ie Chavez 55% loser less.You are showing how much you don't like it.People like you always do it and you like to think of yourselves as intelligent.Your next move is to join the' its a fix' brigade or take it that in Venezuela they know better what they like.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 05:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sad day for Venezuela and South America.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 05:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Hopefully he dies from cancer soon though.
he looks like a boy scout..
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@28 I've seen videos. She's fat!
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@29 Commiserations to the people of Venezuela. Another 6 years of grinding poverty as Chavez wastes the country's money on arms it doesn't need. 320,150 personnel under arms. A budget of over US$4.5 billion. Really? For what does he need 276 main battle tanks, 114 light tanks, 777 APCs, 27 naval vessels and 202 military aircraft? Expecting a war, is he? 6.5% of Venezuela's GDP goes on the military. Venezuela used to be prosperous and wealthy. Now it has the world's highest inflation. At least 28% of the population lives below the poverty line. Venezuela has moved from self-sufficiency in basic food products to needing to import at least two-thirds of its food. Perhaps it would have been better to buy tractors and combine harvesters rather than arms!
Such a lovely sight. See you right-wingers and conservatives, twist and turn in anger. Wishing death to Chavez. The people have spoken and Latinamerica is stronger than ever.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0be carèful..................
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Venezuela is not a lightwèight country.
It ímports 1.9% of Glòbal Weàpon Expòrting.
Hi Forgetit!
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It's nice to know that I can draw you out to comment on my posts.
Fun.
And yes, Yul.,
I don't like the accepted outcome. But however much I tease, you know exactly where I stand.
It may be a 'fix', but if it is, it's an accepted fix.
So,
for better or for worse,
for the Venezuelan people,
for the development of Venezuela,
and for other - largely South American - countries influenced by the outcome,
I sincerely hope that this 'term of office' is a hell of a lot better than Mr Chavez's previous terms.
#35
Oct 08th, 2012 - 06:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So what. Iraq had a huge army, tanks and air force. They still went down plenty quick.
Who do Venezuela fear ?
37
Oct 08th, 2012 - 07:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0great poínt !
but ...
who says Venezuelá is the enémy of USA. !
20 % US oil importing is from Venezuela !
Comment removed by the editor.
Oct 08th, 2012 - 07:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Carter Center is pretty legit (:
Oct 09th, 2012 - 01:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0Well as expected comrade Chavez has won convincingly. 54% have made their choice and at the same time have affected the lives of many in other countries. In Cuba for example the Castro family will continue to imprison that island thanks to Venezuelan aid and in Nicaragua the incestuous Ortega will continue the “revolucion”. For both of these countries millions of poor will continue to suffer massive deprivation thanks to that 54%.
Oct 09th, 2012 - 07:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0As for Venezuela this also means that Chavismo will become even more entrenched and will perhaps be imposible to remove democratically. The bad news is that the working class and the under class will continue to suffer high inflation, unemployment, crime, insecurity, corruption etc. The ironic thing is that a populist leader needs the underprivileged and as a result he will never allow them to step up to the middle class as is the normal process in the road to development. They will be captives in their Villas, favelas or whatever they are called in Venezuela. Finally at least the election was open and fair, the campaign not so much but generally I would like to congratulate Comandante Hugo Chavez for a job well done, he is in an envious position for a hard core socialist. His regime sits on the worlds largest deposits of petroleum, so I think with that kind of money he can tell any would be critics to go and jump in the lake.
41# This is the usual rightist anti-democratic analysis.Are recommending the Pinochet (the disgrace of Chileans and of chiles political model) remedy for Venezuela, and the imprisonment and expulsion of the representatives of the poorer people.And what type of gvt should there really be in Venezuela.One that bows to the rich and powerful of the north.You are not South American.
Oct 09th, 2012 - 02:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@4
Oct 09th, 2012 - 02:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ah really, what you gotta do when the Mad Bitch Of Argentina loses.
Look at her reputation, its going downhill.
Hopefully we'll get rid of scum like you soon enough.
30 Yuleno (#)
Oct 09th, 2012 - 05:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Oct 08th, 2012 - 05:08 pm
Your comment is predictably stupid, Yulen.
My comment was not about the transparency of the electoral act, but about the fact that the Venezuelan people are polarized between Chávez, Capriles, and those who did not present themselves to vote.
This situation indicates that there are three branches to the Venezuelan people, 3.6 million who did not vote (for whatever reason), 7.4 million who support Mr. Chávez and 6.4 million who support Mr. Capriles. These are real figures, not invented.
Chávez is famous for being confontational and making enemies, and during the past 14 years has divided the Venezuelans into the existing 3 camps. There is no way that situation of the poor in Venezuela will improve if Chávez during his new period does not draw all the Venezuelans into making a concerted effort to improve the situation of the poor, not by giving out handouts, but by creating jobs!!!!!!
44# Simon.
Oct 09th, 2012 - 07:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0How perceptive you are.I can't believe how clear your observations on this electoral event is.Could you do the same for the upcoming
USA presidential election.I will eagerly await the analysis.
I tried to do the same analysis for the Cameron/brown/Clegg/and non-voters in the last British election,but I got a four way fissure of the British people.Where did I go wrong because I'm sure there are people posting here who say they know what everyone thinks.
Simon,is this the first time it has shown up in Venezuela as I am very concerned for how they are going to cope.
42 Yuleno
Oct 10th, 2012 - 09:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0I am Chilean. It happens to be in South America right?
As for Pinochet, he ruled Chile for 17 years only. Chavez will rule for 20 years at the end of this term.
What did Pinochet do for the ECONOMY of Chile?
He let a select group of specialist free market economists reboot the economy and completely change the course of Chile's economic history the results are astounding and we will be the first Spanish speaking country after Spain to reach developed country status between 2018 and 2020. Right around the corner pal.
What has Chavez done for Venezuela in 13.5 years. Higher inflation, depreciating currency, the worst crime and murder rates in the world outside Afghanistan and Iraq, rampant corruption, run down infrastructure and derelict government enterprises, poverty and misery. Not so good .
Venezuela's voters have made their decision, lets see how much pain they can endure. All I can say is what a waste. If Venezuela with their bountiful oil reserves, had our economic system, they would soon eclipse the standard of living of the average Joe in the USA (give it 15yrs).
46#
Oct 10th, 2012 - 05:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0In case you don't know,perspective,(should it be A and not The perspective(or is there only one perspective in today's Chile)),Pinochet as the puppet of the yanqui and the moneyed interests,demolished Chile's democratic tradition.
He created the second Chile,the one with the enemy within.Copper prices and the agribusiness is the basis of Chiles new wealth,which entails the destruction of Mapuche among other things.
Venezuela and its people,like every country,has its problems and difficulties,but I think that it's newly elected president is to be congratulated and wished well in his task of improving the condition of all the people of Venezuela,just as one would wish all the people of Chile well.
But of course I realise some people value themselves above other people and want more than others and that because there are these people it is not an easy matter to improve the conditions of the poor and that others disapprove of the project
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