RIP Venezuela's democracy
By Aleksander Boyd
05.12.05 | Allow me to start by stating two premises: 1) results provided by a crooked electoral authority have no value; 2) whatever opinion international observers and media venture into making, based on results given by the authority aforementioned, are on an equal standing. Let me proceed with the good news then. "Hugo Chavez enjoys massive support, some polls indicate that up to 80% of Venezuelans... Chavez's social policies are very appealing to most of Venezuela's disenfranchised... the Venezuelan socialist firebrand that has built an international image based on criticism towards US imperialism is seen as a messiah by many around here..." Need I say more? Just browse any news index referring to Venezuela the past year or two. Mind you I am doubtful of what the 80% meant: was it 80% of Venezuelans (20.000.000 people) or 80% of registered voters (roughly 11.200.000)? So my only question to Venezuela's pundits and pollsters: where were all these people yesterday? Unquestionably the case I have been arguing for the past three years is made.
Venezuela's democracy ceased to exist on Sunday 4th of December. What the country has now is a power-sharing model -Castro is still alive- based on an illegitimate assembly, elected through rigged and fraudulent mechanisms, 'legitimated' by a bunch of 'international observers,' which, for all practical purposes, will be an entity with a single duty: to rubber stamp whatever laws emanate from the presidential minds. As I noted earlier, the repercussions of this will be felt throughout the Americas. One has to hope that it will come to byte the bollocks of the spineless individuals who could have walked away and denounce the overtly anti-democratic charade but lacked the moral and ethical stature to do so.
Just like in Cuba, where his adored mentor has won hands down all 'democratic' elections for the last 46 years without any form of opposition, Hugo Chavez made history yesterday by getting his candidates elected to all the assembly seats in a one-party electoral race; what an extraordinary feat.
The future
In the presence of irrefutable and overwhelming evidence of electoral fraud, Venezuelan opposition parties decided to withdraw. Now they are faced with a proper challenge: how to oust a non-democratic, authoritarian ruler -together with his Cuban idol, and its repressive apparatus. There are various routes, what remains to be seen is whether or not the Venezuelan people and the parties have the will and, above all, the guts to carry out such an enterprise. For it is clear that yesterday's race, a de facto plebiscite, proved that massive support for Chavez existed only in sycophantic and apologists mediums.
The time to preoccupy about what the 'international community' would think came and went. Venezuelans are, as they always have been, on their own. It is uncertain what the future holds, alas it is to be expected that much suffering and lives will have to be sacrificed before the Emperor, and his thuggish lieutenants, leave power.
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