Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Chavez Steals Another One

What if you hold an election, and nobody comes? Seems like the case in Venezuela, where the masses who simply adore "el presidente loco" seemed not to show themselves on election day. From Gateway Pundit:

Chavez Embarrassed by Venezuela Voter Turnout
ONLY ONE QUARTER OF VOTERS SHOW UP FOR ELECTION IN VENEZUELA!
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's political party said it had won 114 out of 167 seats in the Congress after
opposition parties dropped out of elections protesting against bias by electoral authorities...
But with just 114 MVR seats in the Congress, the pro-Chavez alliance would have more than the two-thirds it needs to press for what they call necessary reforms, such as allowing unlimited re-election to the presidency, which opponents fear will give even greater authority to the former army officer. Chavez, a frequent critic of Washington, has accused US officials of orchestrating the boycott to trigger a political crisis...
{Link: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/12/chavez-embarrassed-by-venezuela-voter.html }

I doubt whether this voter boycott is an effective tool. I understand the moral case in refusing to participate in what one feels is a fraudulent election, but rather than invalidate the results, the winners claim electoral legitimacy and tighten their hold on power. Iran is a good example, where most secular and peace-loving Persians want little to do with their radical Islamist government. But by failing to vote for anybody, the fundamentalists claimed control and seem to be leading Iran towards a nuclear holocaust. One might say the Sunnis in Iraq understand this; when they saw they way they were virtually shut out of power after the first round of elections, they suddenly lost their desire to "boycott" any future opportunities to vote.

It is better, I believe, to vote en mass and then claim fraud when the results are flipped, then to deny legitimacy by spurning the process. Again, a moral decision, but for the second time in over a year, it may prove to be a flawed one. How hard will it be to get Chavez out of office in the future if he uses his newfound majority to decree himself President for Life?

Other thoughts:
-Is Chavez one of those guys that is more popular outside of his country (read: Bill Clinton, John Kerry) than with his own people? Think of the damage Spain may be doing to the Venezuelan people and the region by propping up this leftist buffoon...
-when will the New York Times write an editorial "validating" his election telling us to "get over it", like they did last time? Remember, when Sunni Arabs boycott an election, it is "invalid", but when 75% of Venezuelans fail to show, it is "legitimate".

And here he is, the man Jimmy Carter and the New York Times claim as a legitimate leader:


Is this the type 0f man whom the liberals pray will inherit the earth? May God help us all...

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