Chavez no se va!

To no surprise, Chavez wins the Presidential elections held yesterday October 7th. Capriles (the opposition candidate) won 44% of the people’s votes and Chavez won 54% of their votes, making this election a close race in a polarized country with majority of the population participating. His next six year term will begin on January 10, 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19867445

Chavez voters and Mision Ribas Workers

What does this mean for Venezuela?

More oil investment to fund the Bolivarian Revolution’s goals for continued social programs, more housing construction to eliminate the poor living conditions and large amounts of barrios, continued development in agriculture to end the country’s reliance on import goods, and restructuring of the police force to stop the rampant crime rates. This also means more state controlled development and less privatization. 

Does this create a dependency model for the country that would otherwise be at the mercy of foreign capitalists?

I argue that Chavez’s social welfare programs have empowered people; 1.5 million people are now literate; 17% of Parliament seats are held by women (same percentage as the United States); 75% of the population has used free health facilities. Chavez has plans for the next six years to continue to have these growth numbers increase while adding new missions. My hope is that Chavez will use this next term to not only assist the marginalized populations with state programs but to change the national discourse surrounding political differences. Considering almost half the voters are ready for a leadership change, I think its important for Chavez to groom a new leader within the PSUV party to take over and continue the Bolivarian path when his six year term is up. Power for too long in concentrated hands can be dangerous, and by that time it will be necessary to find a new voice that can reach all the people and unite them as one country determined to continue growing.

Chavez Billboard in Caracas

"From the people and for the people"

Americans in a Crossfire

Americans in a Crossfire

On August 12, 2012 a group of Americans and Canadians walk out of the Caracas Metro station to a downtown area prepared for a political rally in support of the opposition Presidential candidate, Henrique Capriles. 

As we walk off the escalator we somehow enter a crossfire between Chavez supporters and Capriles supporters yelling inaudible “boo’s” and “chants” at each other, obviously trying to out shout the other. There is a sense of tension between the two groups and I start to feel nervous about being in the middle. Our translator, Leo Lameda, initiates conversation with a Chavez supporter whom was also his high school history teacher, Lobeila Escobar. She talks about media manipulation especially U.S. media in which they demonize Chavez and hype up the violence in Venezuela. She has been an active Chavez supporter for years and believes he will be elected President again for a third six year term this October. We migrate around her as onlookers join our circle in order to hear her voice.

A local student camera crew join us and want to ask us, the Americans, about our experience here and opinions on the current political situation in Venezuela. A man with a Capriles flag steps in front of a female Chavez supporter chanting louder and louder by the second. There’s a moment of hostility as he makes his way to the ‘right’ side of the rally and political spectrum. She stands proudly on the left and as the next metro full of passengers disembarks into our space, shouts from both sides guide the passengers to the proper position. 

We interview a couple Capriles supporters on the outer skirts of the rally. The older man’s reference to anti-semitism could be related to the fact that Capriles has a Jewish ancestry. The younger woman references the New Organic Law of Civil Penalties which states: “In Venezuela, in January 2012, a new Organic Law against Terrorism and Organized Delinquency was adopted by Congress, but has not yet been signed into law by the President. The law establishes a broad definition of “terrorist acts” that may apply to legitimate acts of social protest or dissidence. It also places NGOs under the permanent surveillance of a State organ and imposes restrictions on foreign funding.” -United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, 4/25/2012 http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?page=article_s&id_article=3853 

It’s interesting to note that this law imposes restrictions on foreign funding, which suggests an anti-U.S. electoral endorsement of any kind for any candidates in Venezuela.  Is this a bad thing? How much endorsements from corporations does our U.S. candidates receive? The young woman’s insinuation of Chavez promoting violence could be linked to the division among Venezuelans. And how Venezuela has been undergoing a class struggle due to government reforms against privatization and a transition to a socialist economy. Through these measures redistribution of wealth and high influence jobs have caused the wealthy and middle class to lose previous privileges such as land and corporate investment.