Venezuela's opposition leader joins presidential race

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said on Sunday that he will challenge the late Hugo Chávez's preferred successor for the presidency next month, setting the stage for a bitter campaign.

Capriles, a 40-year-old state governor, will face election favorite and acting president Nicolás Maduro. The pair have until Monday to register their candidacies for the 14 April vote.

The election will decide whether Chávez's self-styled socialist and nationalist revolution will live on in the country.

"I am going to fight," Capriles said at a news conference. "Nicolás, I am not going to give you a free pass. You will have to beat me with votes."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/11/venezuela-opposition-leader-presidential-race

[Marksman_91]

1. I'll fulfill my duty as a Venezuelan citizen living in Miami and go to New Orleans

Even if I think Capriles will most likely still lose, I feel it is the duty of every citizen to participate in their country's democracy when they can. I and many other Venezuelans registered to vote in the N.O consulate will go there without question.

[littlewolf]

2. my question is this, why was the VP sworn in

as acting president when the constitution states that the assembly leader
is sworn in if the president dies in office or for any reason can not fulfill
the office.

[reorg]

3. because you are wrong: the constitution clearly states that the Vice-President

becomes acting president if the President dies in office:

When the President of the Republic becomes permanently unavail-
able to serve during the first four years of this constitutional term of
office, a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be
held within 30 consecutive days. Pending election and inauguration
of the new President, the Executive Vice-President shall take charge
of the Presidency of the Republic.

In the cases describes above, the new President shall complete the
current constitutional term of office. If the President becomes perma-
nently unavailable to serve during the last two years of his constitu-
tional term of office, the Executive Vice-President shall take over the
Presidency of the Republic until such term is completed.

http://www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/venezuela/constitucion_ingles.pdf

[msanthrope]

4. But Chavez had not been inaugurated into his second term. He wasn't in office. nt

[reorg]

5. Actually, Chavez had been inaugurated into his second term in January 2001

He was in office since 2 February 1999 and had won the election for his forth term handily with 54% of the votes versus 45% for the candidate of the opposition.

The inauguration of Chávez's new term was scheduled for 10 January 2013, but as he was undergoing medical treatment at the time in Cuba, he was not able to return to Venezuela for that date. The National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello proposed to postpone the inauguration and the Supreme Court decided that, being just another term of the sitting president and not the inauguration of a new one, the formality could be bypassed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez

He never stopped being the President until he died.

Thanks for your input, anyway.

[msanthrope]

6. Right--fourth term. He wasn't in office when he died. nt

[reorg]

7. Actually, no, he was in office

since you don't have the authority to overrule the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia.

But, thanks again for your valuable insights.

[msanthrope]

8. No--his term expired. And he didn't take office for the next one. And while the Tribunal Supremo

de Justica can render it's own version of Bush v. Gore, it doesn't make it any less illegitimate.

[reorg]

10. Oh, so you are saying that his opponent should have been inaugurated

since Chavez was too ill to attend?

Otherwise your Bush v. Gore reference doesn't make any sense.

Not that I expected you would.

Nevertheless, rest assured that your opinions always matter to me.

[joshcryer]

12. Bush v. Gore is simply that the highest court decided.

That's where the comparison is.

The person suing was a high profile journalist for state TV.

The question of the ability of the President to serve his duties did not come up.

Unsurprisingly.

[joshcryer]

11. WTF this logic is beyond anything I can grasp.

You really don't get it. I don't see how you're making this fundamental mistake. A term is officiated at the inauguration.

[SamKnause]

9. Nicolas Maduro

I hope those who support the Bolivian Revolution and Hugo Chavez turn out in record numbers and vote for Nicolas Maduro.

[joshcryer]

13. You just said you hoped they vote for a homophobic bigot.

[Comrade Grumpy]

14. Somebody really, really hates Chavismo.

So sorry your side keeps losing.

[joshcryer]

15. Just giving a reality check.

Not my side so much.

[joshcryer]

23. Please edit that post? [EDITED please read]

Last edited Mon Mar 11, 2013, 04:49 AM - Edit history (1)

Trigger word, and juries are prone to catch it.

(Note: you are 100% correct that he used that word, but a bit of editing is necessary; without Meta we need to be more diligent.)

edit: as expected, the jury hid that post, but it is true that the current running mate, and President of Venezuela, called the opposition "fa**ots" to their face, like a teabagger rally. I agree with the jury decision to hide since without Meta we deserve higher standards, but that is what Maduro actually said. Really. He called them fa**ots. The bigoted asshole that he is. Fuck Maduro, vile piece of shit.

[reorg]

24. hm, actually

the word he used is a multi-purpose swearword that doesn't necessarily have sexual connotations and not always corresponds to the English term you are pointing at.

Maduro, however, publicly apologized to the gay community for using that term.

Interestingly, nobody seemed to be offended that he also called the two opposition members in question "fascists" and "snobs", I wonder why.

[joshcryer]

25. The fact that Maduro apologized indicated its severity.

Interestingly, it seems you have no problem with his original vernacular and are apparently comforted with his invocation of the typical Emmanuel Goldstein used in its place (fascist snobs). This plays quite well with the rest of the homophobic chavistsas, and I expect you will be surprised with the way Maduro, the homophobic bigot, takes Venezuela in the future.

[Selatius]

16. Sadly, most leaders in Latin America are strongly against gay marriage or homosexuals in general.

If it were a choice between a pro-LGBT socialist candidate and an anti-LGBT socialist candidate, the pro- candidate would get my vote, but ultimately, in a country like Venezuela or Colombia or any nation in that part of the world, you're likely limited to a choice between a corporatist candidate and a socialist candidate, and they're both anti-gay.

[joshcryer]

17. The Chavistas have a good pro-LGBT record.

Chavez himself was mostly neutral. But Maduro feeds into the more extreme anti-LGBT meme, with Capriles being regularly slandered as a homosexual, and posters of him in highly insulted gay-themed mockups were used throughout the campaign.

I suspect that Maduro will make a mockery of Chavez' stance in the long run, and it will be disgusting to see.

What people here don't get is I liked Chavez the person.

[UnseenUndergrad]

32. A measured and wise response

Personally, while the whole FARC thing was disappointing and Chavez's refusal to recognize the Libyan government (did they ever do so?) was a bit exasperating, I do feel that he tried to do the best for the greatest number. Of course, between the poor beneficiaries and the rich oligarchs who can afford anything, the middle class who are neither may feel squeezed both economically and politically.

Maduro, on the other hand, has worried me ever since the beginning of the cancer story. Turning the memory of a charismatic populist into a personality-cult symbol to reinforce a hold on power is exactly what worries me.

[RZM]

28. I'm curious why there hasn't been similar excuse-making for Lech Walesa's recent comments

The narrative there was that he's 'thrown away his legacy.' Here it seems to be 'well, it's unfortunate, but we have to work with what we've got.'

I don't disagree with you at all, BTW. Latin America isn't the most progressive place when it comes to LGBT issues. Often people explain that away by citing the strong influence of the Catholic church (i.e, 'it's not their fault, it's the church's fault'). Then again, Poland has been Catholic for over a thousand years and you don't see similar excuse-making for homophobia there.

[Ash_F]

18. FYI Henrique Capriles' 47% moment...

...was when he stated that one of his priorities, if elected, would be to take away land from poor Venezuelan farmers and give it to THIS English Lord



I am not even joking. No wonder he did not win the first time.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Lord flipping Spam! Oh, my God. Did he really? This is so loathesome.

Didn't know this about Capriles, as I deliberately didn't read anything about him.

I guess the sweet Lord could order his employees to vote for the brat, but it can't have impressed the normal people of Venezuela.

I can't believe anyone was stupid enough to make a public statement like that!

Thanks for the information.

[joshcryer]

22. You deliberately didn't read anything about Capriles?

C'mon! I expect better of you. Dude is anti-corruption and pro-people. Dude was a tax lawyer, total nerd. Wants the best for Venezuelans. Hates corruption. Fired one guy accused of corruption in 30 minutes of it being known. A first for a Latin American leader. He ain't going to be President any time soon if ever, but he means damn well.

[joshcryer]

21. You said that before and I debunked it.

Chavez only "expropriated" 2 out of 10 of his ranches.

This is why I think Chavez failed as a revolutionary. He should've taken all 10.

http://sync.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=259025

And you never cited where Capriles said he'd give the land to that guy, he just wanted the land developed and wanted a "use it or lose it" policy implemented. A lot of African land expropriations led to land being undeveloped. Yes, white colonialists who bought up cheap colonial controlled land being returned to black Africans is good, but only if the land is being used! Simply having land is irrelevant. Same in Venezuela. If you don't use it, you lose it. Just like Cuba. (Cuba has the best policy in this regard, and the US, to an extent on BLM lands, does as well.)

[Ash_F]

26. Don't you ever get tired of carrying that water? /nt

[joshcryer]

30. I get tired of uninformed posters making bold claims.

Claims tending to come from propagandists.

If Chavez was going after the boligarchs I would have been the first one here to champion it. But because he was working within the confines of globalization he needed the boligarchs to get things done. Big powerful elites making the contracts and getting the pay out.

[magic59]

27. Ah yes, another CIA shill enters the race

working for the ameriKan corpocracy.

[bitchkitty]

29. Of course the terrorist/murderer will run. n/t

[Bradical79]

31. what is his terrorism and murdering background?