For Venezuela, Tension Mounts With Close Vote

[Joanne98]

Source: NYT

CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 2 — From the unusually quiet streets of this capital to the hushed tones of state television announcers, Venezuela was on edge Sunday night as voters awaited the outcome of a contentious referendum that would give President Hugo Chávez sweeping new constitutional powers.

Hours after the polls closed, the government still had not released official results, causing political leaders to speculate that the vote was too close to call.

That would be a stunning development in a country where Mr. Chávez and his supporters control nearly all of the levers of power.

“The result will be quarrelsome,” Vice President Jorge Rodríguez said in comments broadcast on national television.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/americas/03venezuela.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[maddezmom]

1. Venezuelan vote too close to call

By JOHN OTIS
Chavez seeks to extend power CARACAS, Venezuela — The result of Venezuela's referendum on constitutional changes that would give President Hugo Chavez vast new powers was too close to call, government and opposition leaders said Sunday.

Vice President Jorge Rodriguez called the results "close" but the National Electoral Council withheld announcing any results.

Andres Velasquez, one of the opposition leaders pushing for a "no" vote, said the Chavez team "is trying to create rumors to present themselves as the winners."


more:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5346328.html

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. said the Chavez team "is trying to create rumors to present themselves as the winners."

Velasquez would be an expert in the tactic, since the opposition has done precisely that for every election and referendum and recall since 1999. What a pack of fucking liars.

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

8. Maybe this is the best outcome - so everyone can calm down some. n/t

[olddad56]

2. People got to vote on whether or not the ruler could rewrite the constitution. Imagine that.

[Pavulon]

4. An up down vote like that in 2002

giving bush unchecked access to ALL authority in all three branches may have been feasible.

I wonder how that would work out here? I mean it would be a fair democratic process...

[stillcool]

3. on a side note...

do you speak Spanish? I was wondering what this article is about
http://www.bolpress.com/art.php?Cod=2007120202

[maddezmom]

5. probably it's about this WaPo article: Students Become Potent Adversary To Chávez Vision

~snip~


"Today, it's been proven that it's false what the media says, that the students are anti-government," Chávez said in a recent speech to university students who marched in his support. "The truth has been shown: Venezuelan students are with the revolution and will vote yes."


Many of the anti-government students and their leaders do hail from such elite universities as Andres Bello, the prominent Catholic university in Caracas. And some student groups have received funding for workshops from the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to documents made available to The Washington Post on Saturday.

The U.S. documents, obtained through a freedom of information request filed by a researcher for the National Security Archive at George Washington University, show that $216,000 was provided from 2003 through this year to unnamed student groups at several universities for "conflict resolution," "democracy promotion" and other programs.

Jeremy Bigwood, the researcher, has obtained other documents in recent years showing U.S. aid for anti-Chávez groups. He said these documents show, at the very least, that the Bush administration wanted to "keep a finger on the pulse of the student movement."

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/01/AR2007120101636.html

[stillcool]

6. thanks...

I think this may be a different version..here's the header...
Washington Post confirma intervención de USAID en Venezuela
http://www.bolpress.com/art.php?Cod=2007120202

[EFerrari]

9. Roughly

Washington Post confirma intervención de USAID en Venezuela
Arturo Von Vacano

Firmado por su corresponsal en Latinoamérica Juan Forero desde Washington, el Washington Post publica hoy un artículo en el que confirma la intervención económica de USAID en ayuda de los estudiantes opuestos a Hugo Chávez en Venezuela.

The Washington Post confirms USAID's intervention in Venezuela

Authored by Juan Forero, Latin American Correspondent, the Washington Post published an article today in which the economic intervention of USAID in support of the opposition students has been confirmed.

[stillcool]

10. tanks...

I have to learn to at least read Spanish.

[EFerrari]

11. The headline is bizarre because it says the US has been caught

funding the opposition.

[stillcool]

13. I have read some stuff about USAID...

and other organizations regarding interference in the past. I think at Third World Traveler...and also at Covert Action.

http://covertaction.org/content/section/4/75/
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/

[EFerrari]

14. They claim to fund non partisan development programs and

they only significantly fund BushCo cronies at interesting times.

[stillcool]

16. yeah...like that!

:rofl:

[UTUSN]

12. Bwah-ha-HAH!1 "control nearly all of the levers of power. "

So, HUGO-ites ---answer me this!1 Should a fucking CHANGE TO A CONSTITUTION be based on "too close to call"?

But thank ZEUS I don't have to LIVE WITH FUCKING CHAVEZ (except here at DU)!1

[bitchkitty]

18. Poor thing, you're so worked up not living with Chavez

that you forgot and clicked on a Chavez thread! :(

[arcos]

15. It seems they're about to announce something... nt

[pescao]

17. No and No

chavez lost his first vote, let the post-mortem of the poll begin.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. He is being conciliatory and accepts the NO vote. n/t

[pescao]

20. at least no-one can say...

...that venezuelan elections are not free or fair. greg wilpert was saying earlier that the reforms were too complicated and there just wasn't enough time to debate them.

also, lots of people believed the slick opposition propaganda about taking your kids away, &c.

i'm off to bed!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. Exactamente, yo tambien. n/t

[ronnie624]

22. Venezuela waits for reform result

Mr Chavez' opponents called for close monitoring of the ballot. Opinion polls have suggested that the result could be close, although surveys in the past have tended to underestimate the level of support Mr Chavez enjoys.

The BBC's Americas editor, Emilio San Pedro, says the elections are expected to be as free and fair as all previous ones since Mr Chavez came to power in 1998.

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7123365.stm>