The Kerryman
*Chavez wins new term as president*
*The Kerryman, Ireland, 8 October 2012 *
President Hugo Chavez won re-election and a new endorsement of his
socialist project, surviving his closest race yet after a bitter
campaign in which the opposition accused him of unfairly using
Venezuela's oil wealth and his near total control of state institutions
to his advantage.
A long wait for the results produced high tensions, including a Twitter
hashtag called BitingNails that became the most popular in the country.
Finally, fireworks exploded over Caracas amid a cacophony of
horn-honking by elated Chavez supporters waving flags and jumping for
joy outside the presidential palace.
With 90% of votes counted, Mr Chavez had more than 54% of the vote to
45% for challenger Henrique Capriles, an athletic 40-year-old former
state governor who unified and energised the opposition while
barnstorming across the oil-exporting nation.
But Mr Capriles's promises to seriously address violent crime that has
spun out of control, streamline a patronage-bloated bureaucracy and end
rampant corruption proved inadequate against Mr Chavez's charisma,
well-oiled political machine and a legacy of putting Venezuela's poor
first with generous social welfare programmes.
Mr Chavez rallied thousands of supporters from a balcony of the
presidential palace, holding up a sword that once belonged to 19th
century independence hero Simon Bolivar. "The revolution has triumphed!"
Mr Chavez told the crowd, saying his supporters "voted for socialism".
The crowd responded chanting: "Chavez won't go!"
Mr Chavez will now have a freer hand to push for an even bigger state
role in the economy and continue populist programmes. He pledged before
the vote to make a stronger push for socialism in the next term. He is
also likely to further limit dissent and deepen friendships with US
rivals. A Capriles victory would have brought a radical foreign policy
shift including a halt to preferential oil deals with allies such as
Cuba, along with a loosening of state economic controls and an increase
in private investment.
It was Mr Chavez's third re-election in nearly 14 years in office. It
was also his smallest victory margin. In 2006, he won by 27%. Voter
turnout was an impressive 81%, compared with 75% in 2006. Mr Chavez paid
close attention to his military-like get-out-the-vote organisation at
the grass roots, stressing its importance at campaign rallies. The
opposition said he unfairly put millions in state funds into the effort.
Mr Chavez spent heavily in the months before the vote, building public
housing and bankrolling expanded social programmes.
Mr Chavez spoke little during the campaign about his fight with cancer,
which since June 2011 has included surgery to remove tumours from his
pelvic region as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has
said his most recent tests showed no sign of illness.
Mr Capriles told supporters not to feel defeated. "We have planted many
seeds across Venezuela and I know that these seeds are going to produce
many trees," he told a hall of supporters. Despite winning a February
primary that unified the opposition, Mr Capriles proved no match for Mr
Chavez's electoral prowess.
*From:
http://www.kerryman.ie/breaking-news/world-news/chavez-wins-new-term-as-president-3252315.html*
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