VHeadline news editor Patrick J. O'D0noghue writes: Those hoping to see President Chavez get a bloody nose yesterday must be disappointed. They thought they had it in the bag when exit polls were released, forgetting that only the opposition do exit polls. The government seems happy enough to have regained four States run by turncoat State Governors.
The opposition, for its part, can claim that it has recuperated its power bases after refusing to run in the last regional elections.The big defeat undoubtedly is Petare (Sucre municipality). With an initial flourish of triumphalism evident among United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), it is highly unlikely that there will be any serious review and rectification of strategies. The government's record in administering Caracas, Maracaibo (and Petare) has been a disaster and voters rightly passed verdict, despite sterling work untaken by electoral battalions and patrols.
The massive vote obtained in Lara State is revealing. Henry Falcon won because of his success in administering Irribaren municipality that covers Barquisimeto. There is little doubt that the defeats in Caracas and Maracaibo can be attributed to failure on the part of government flunkies to clean up the city. The new mayor of Libertador municipality in Caracas, Jorge Rodriguez has a chance to shine as an efficient administrator by getting the streets clean, the traffic moving and crime figures down ... or under control.
Antonio Ledezma's victory is astounding when one considers that he is the Fourth Republic personified and, that alone, must rankle among PSUV mandarins.
Chavez has been unable to break the opposition hold on Zulia and, indeed, has lost ground there despite constant visits and social programs. That in itself is a major defeat. Maracaibo as Venezuela's second biggest city, and Zulia as a major oil state, remain a beacon for the opposition.
Abstention was down, especially among opposition supporters, which helped Ledezma and Capriles Radonski.
The PSUV can take refuge in the fact that their newly-oiled electoral machine proved effective and probably saved their bacon in several States.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
vheadline@gmail.com
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Venezuela is facing the most difficult period of its history with honest reporters crippled by sectarianism on top of rampant corruption within the administration and beyond, aided and abetted by criminal forces in the US and Spanish governments which cannot accept the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people to decide over their own future.
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