Liberty Alone

Dictator wannabe and darling of the anti-liberal left, Hugo Chavez, has been defeated in a referendum which would have granted him even more power.
I’m not sure whether to be surprised about this. The reports from Venezuela hint at growing unease with his rule, the Students are almost entirely united against him for instance. On the other hand, he still maintains large support from the poor due to his oil fueled social programs which whilst they do little, look like they’re doing a lot. The state has also gained a huge amount of control over the economy, meaning that so many are dependent upon it and they are afraid to dissent in case they lose their jobs.

The next question is whether Chavez will go quietly at the end of his term. Given his previous attempt at a military coup and his general disdain for democratic institutions and his habit of silencing opposition I don’t know whether he will.
I also expect more attempts at power grabbing, perhaps even going as far as an engineered crisis to enable him to grab power, although I for the sakes of the people of Venezuela I hope he doesn’t.

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