Contrary to expectations of a brutal majority, Nicolas
Maduro, the Vice President of Venezeula whom Hug Chavez had chosen as his
successor, scraped thru with a slender margin over his formidable rival
Henrique Capriles represented by the coalition of Democratic Unity (MDU) in the
elections held on Sunday to be the incoming President of Venezuela. While
Nicolas Maduro polled 50.66% his nearest rival Capriles polled 49% plus giving
a slender margin of one and half percent. 78.6% of Venezuelans exercised their
franchise where the population is almost nineteen million. Henrique Capriles
has disputed the result and has demanded a recount. It is worthwhile to recall
here that in the previous election Mr.Hugo Chavez had scored 56% while Mr.Capriles,
his rival polled nearly 40% a victory margin of 11% for Chavez over his nearest
rival Capriles.
It is not only embarrasing, but alarming that even while
riding on a sympathy wave soon after Chavez’s death Mr.Maduro could win the
election with a wafer thin majority. It is a pointer and also a warning to the
United Socialist Party of Venezeula of which Maduro is the leader Venezeuleans
expect more from the current dispensation or else the Maduro’s party will have
to clear the way for the opposition which has proved beyond doubt that it is a
formidable rival which is in hot pursuit of power in Venezuela since more than
a decade.
It is an open question that whether Mr.Maduro could come up
to the level of his leader who since 1999 was in the saddle riding the crest of
a popular wave. It is better we may throw the question to the future.
No doubt a huge chunk of elites of Venezuela must have tried
hard to elevate Mr.Capriles to power whose interests, he represents with the
generous support of a nation like USA which since Hugo Chavez came to power in
19999 is bent upon toppling his government at any cost. If US had failed in its
attempts it was only because of Chavez’s huge popularity among the Venezueleans
especially the toiling masses in the lower strata of the country and the lower
middle class. His charisma played a greater role in snatching the love and
plaudits from the afore-mentioned classes. Venezuela’s elite class but abhorred
Mr.Chavez because he was an obstacle to their dreams of cornering vast
resources of Venezuela. It is quite certain that they did extend massive
support to these elites to ensure that the regime is toppled from the seat of
power both overtly and covertly.
We must not but forget the sad truth that massive debt,
rampant crime, devaluation of the currency resulting in inflation rate running
beyond 25% and frequent black-outs also are reasons for the drop in popularity
of the current dispensation. But that never eclipses the vast contributions to
the downtrodden and lower middle classes of Venezuelan society by Chavez’s regime
and currently led by Nicolas Maduro. For the upliftment of the masses Chavez initiated
a slew of reform measures and we need not list out each of them here since
political observers had written about them which I had mentioned in one of my
blogs. And his love and sympathy for the suffering masses endeared him to them.
If Mr.Maduro is determined to follow in the foot-steps of his
mentor with much more vigour, determination and courage a bright future awaits
the entire Venezuela or if he deviates from the people- friendly policies
adopted by his mentor, the future of Venezuela will be bleak. No doubt.
Let’s hope, this fifty year old former bus driver would do a
lot for the betterment of Venezueleans with him taking up the mantle.
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