TRIBUNE: MARIO VARGAS LLOSA
Chávez's defeat
Despite the grotesque manipulation of the vote last Sunday's elections in Venezuela have been a serious setback to the commander of Bolivar. But the opposition should not sing victory
The has been and unmitigated. Commander Chavez presented the query as a plebiscite in which the people of Venezuela would legitimize torrential his "socialism of the XXI century" and his campaign manager, Aristobulo Isturiz, prophesied with arrogance: "We may lose benefit if we do not get two-thirds National Assembly. " Well, the result less fraudulent elections, the vote for 12 representatives to the Latin American Parliament, gave the assembled forces of the opposition a majority of about 400,000 votes.
This difference is reduced in the voting for National Assembly 242,553 "Official results: 5,642,553 to 5,399,574," because there Chávez electoral engineering, with the complicity of their parliamentary and electoral power, had amended the law to give a representation mammoth rural constituencies, which had strong roots, and shrink in urban areas where the opposition was the majority. It has been estimated that this absurd disproportion the regime needed just 30,000 votes for a deputy while the Bureau for Democratic Unity required 140,000. This explains why the opposition, having won 52% of the vote, has only 65 deputies, and Chavez with 98 despite reaching only 48%. These are miracles mathematical results XXI century socialism. No wonder, for reporting this data, the National Electoral Council within eight hours longer than expected and that Chavez, as always linguist, mute about twenty-four hours before leaving to stand up to the press. This time no one dared to say, as in December 2007, when the Venezuelan people rejected his constitutional reform, which was "a victory of shit." Rather welcomed with fanfare that belied his face sour, the "revolutionary people" the "victory" that gave him.
An interesting aspect of the consultation is that the states hardest hit by the leader (having chosen in the past governors and mayors hostile to the regime) chisels budget, canceling social programs and ousted, jailed, sometimes its authorities, instead of being intimidated, have stepped up their opposition. This has happened in Miranda, Táchira and Zulia, and the self New York: Capital District opposition defeated the ruling party for the first time in 12 years in votes cast.
With 65 deputies in the National Assembly, the opposition will have the strength to stop the constitutional reforms Chavez prepared, you need to do two thirds of the deputies, in order to accelerate the nationalization and interventionism in the economy, end with private companies and independent press and television, close the limited spaces that remain critical in the political, trade union, social and cultural. Progress towards a regime of Cuban Marxist-Leninist dictatorship integral, have many more hurdles to materialize now that the Venezuelan people themselves have found that with the civilized and simple act of casting a vote in a jar, it could inflict a serious warning to a government figure whose criminal record have made Venezuela the country with the highest inflation in Latin America, the highest crime rate, one of the most corrupt and inefficient the planet and where the collapse of the levels of life of middle-class sectors and popular is faster. This year, Venezuela is the only Latin American country with negative growth.
forces the opposition to claim victory and should not rely on this excellent result. Not to repeat mistakes like 2005, when, to refrain from participating in the electoral process, Chavez gave a servile National PLC Assembly (House of Seals) all these years has been nothing but a docile servant of constitutional and legal outrages Commander. It is imperative that the union of parties, movements and individuals of the opposition which is the Bureau for Democratic Unity be maintained and hold, because in this way will continue gaining ground and adding to their ranks the Venezuelans who, overwhelmed or fearful of reprisals from the regime, failed to participate in this contest. Many of these abstainers skeptics, the electoral victory of the resistance has shown that if any shaken and there are still reasons for hope. When what is at stake is the freedom of a people, the risk that the darkness of a totalitarian dictatorship has befallen him and live for who knows how many years, Cubans have more than half a century, the petty rivalries of doctrine , hue or personal, must disappear in order not to weaken the first of priorities: to resist the authoritarian project of a leader and demagogue who has pushed Venezuela into poverty, violence and chaos and could keep going on even more despicable forms of ideological madness.
It criticizes the lack of Venezuelan opposition leaders, not have to face charismatic figures who rob the masses. But how, you still must believe in the leaders? Were not they, those horrifying clowns with hands stained with blood, inflated with vanity deceptions by the servility and adulation that surrounds them, the ratio of the worst disasters in Latin America and the world? The existence of a charismatic leader is always the abdication of the will, free will, the creative spirit and rationality of a whole people to an individual who is recognized as a superior, better equipped to decide what is good and what is bad for the whole country in economic, political, cultural, social, scientific, and so on. Does it want? What comes a new Chavez to get rid of Chavez?
I disagree. I am convinced that Latin America will only be truly democratic, non-reversal possible when the vast majority of Latin Americans are immunized against the idea forever irrational, primitive, at odds with the culture of freedom, that only a superman can govern effectively and appropriately to such mediocrities who are the rest of human beings, those herds that need good shepherds who lead the way properly. Venezuelans believe it and when it appeared the Commander of yore, with his voice and rudeness tonitronante Bolivarian monologues and cumbersome, and voted for him en masse, disbelieving of democracy. So they have gone. We have paid dearly. Now they have learned their lesson and one of the good things they are doing, while boldly face the semi dictatorship they have, is having given up the warlords. They now have leaders who deserve respect, not religious worship, as they work in teams, seek consensus and agreements made through dialogue and persuasion, that is, begin to practice and the democratic culture that will become the land of Bolivar where Comandante Chavez is nothing but another one of those shadowy figures from a tradition of shame and backwardness.
the months and years ahead that Venezuela will not be easy. The regime has gone too far in building structures and many people dictatorial thrives because of them to Chavez, obeying the will of the people, rectify its policy and is willing to withdraw from power if they send the ballot box. The greatest danger is that after this beating peaceful just received, is embravezca and want to get through UCAS and repressive bully, which has been unable to get through the ballot boxes. And install the censorship, the liquidation of the press is not aligned with the regime, the abolition of all forms of political opposition and widespread nationalization of the economy. Will not be easy, of course. He has already lost that state of grace of messianic leader who enjoyed a few years now and not just him, also the Venezuelan people know it is fallible and vulnerable. Looming a tense period in which, again, as two centuries ago, will be decided on Venezuelan soil the future of freedom throughout America America.
© Mario Vargas Llosa, 2010. © Copyright world press in all languages \u200b\u200breserved Ediciones El Pais, SL, 2010.
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