Venezuela and the Chavez Legacy

He fought so hard, and that's so far, but in the end, it doesn't even matter. He tried so hard, to lose it all, but in the end, it doesn't even matter...

Isn't the line "win it all"?

But man, that guy is not having luck with his health lately.

Chavez can still retain power even if he's too ill to attend a swering-in ceremony. Any decent president would abdicate on the grounds that he might, you know, be too ill to govern or might actually die of cancer, leaving his country in the lurch.

This is especially important seeing Chavez has pushed out of the party anyone who could compete with him - means they may not have a competent replacement (though for all I know the VP is good at his job even if he's not got his master's charisma).

Typical autocrat mentality: it comes down to Vetinari Job Security and Pride. Every nail that stands out is hammered in. Avoiding any overt demonstration of intellectual brilliance, let alone the ability and the will to pro-actively solve problems has become an essential survival rule. If problems need to be solved, foreign consultants will be hired, used, paid abundantly, and dismissed.

Would it be possible for Chavez to fly the members of the Supreme Court out to Cuba and hold the ceremony there?

It's not physically impossible, but it would be unconventional to hold official state-related, domestic ceremonies in foreign territory, no matter how friendly. One would be expected to use some sort of stand-in.

Abdicating would mean that there would need to be new elections.

So what he is doing is understandable. In the end he did win the popular vote, and the swearing in is a formality, not a substantial matter.

edited 5th Jan '13 6:44:36 PM by Baff

Kings abdicate. Presidents resign.

Thank you for the correction.

I thought it was a deliberate Take That!. I was just explaining the joke.

So, how do you think Chavez is doing?

By far, i have seen Nicolas Maduro as the sustitute. I dont like him

Chavez clings to life, vice president says

Venezuela says Chavez receiving chemotherapy

edited 1st Mar '13 10:21:14 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Chavez has returned to Venezuela

And what happen after that? He inspired a meme (Warning: Justin Bieber is in the photo.)

In other news, while im not sure, it appears Chavez has become an idol in some santerians groups. (Headline: To pray to the president Chavez)

If that is true, then im pretty sure I can consider my country a nutztry.

edited 2nd Mar '13 12:39:11 AM by Tomodachi

D'yah think Venezuela will ever be able to rebalance out all that power that Chavez took for himself? And could this situation (Mr. Maduro ruling while Chavez languishes in hospital) go on for years?

Maybe if he dies, Chavez could become the Eternal President or something. Or maybe there'll be pushes to canonize him...

Cannonize him?

I can work wi...

Oh, wait. One "n", not two.

Emily Litella: "Never mind."

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/05/world/americas/venezuela-chavez-main/index.html

DOOM!

Ding dong...

Well, what now for Venezuela? Anyone on here who can enlighten us?

edited 5th Mar '13 2:09:23 PM by Achaemenid

Either Nicolas Maduro or Henrique Capriles as the president.

Either way, WE ARE DOOMED!

I won't speak ill of the dead.

So, nothing left to say about Chavez. I suspect that, in true Latin American fashion, Venezuela's politics will see a scramble of his closest allies fighting each other for power. This will be interesting.

I can't tell if you are serious or not. Is Chavismo a good thing for Venezuela, and are there any obvious, credible alternatives to it?

I love speaking ill of the dead: What a bitch. All this, just to push Kim Jong Un off the front pages.

edited 5th Mar '13 2:21:53 PM by Achaemenid

No, Chavismo is bad for venezuela.

But, Nicolas maduro will Win. Thats the sad part. WE.ARE.DOOMED!

Thing is. Can Chavismo live without Chavez? More than anything, Chavez regime was about nobody other than Chavez. He kept scrambling around the people close to him and took on and discarded everyone as he saw fit. Nicolas Maduro is the Heir Apparent, but is he really in the heart of his followers?

Only time will tell.

Rolling out the armed forces is a disturbing development, given the hullabaloo over how legitimate Chavez's Presidency was (and obviously the legitimacy of his successor as a result).

Hope that the troops only end up being bored out of their minds.

Aside from trying to control the media, did Chavez do anything else that was dictatorlike?

And if he didn't call Bush the devil, would anybody in the western world care about him?

edited 5th Mar '13 5:52:29 PM by truteal