Venezuela - A Case Study of How To Stay In Power

[Dashinka 24,999]

I would make reference to the fact that Venezuela is a Socialist paradise, but the actions the government there is taking to hold onto power could be attributed to any government under criticism regardless of their political leanings. It is sad though that good people are subject to such crappy elite government.

I posted a few more paragraphs of the story than normal since not everyone has access to the WSJ, but I did not post the entire story trying to keep somewhat within the TOS.

CARACAS, VenezuelaElectoral officials suspended a recall referendum campaign that opposition parties were mounting against President Nicolás Maduro, making it increasingly unlikely the presidents foes will be able to remove the embattled leader from power.

The National Electoral Council, staffed with close allies of Mr. Maduro, said in a statement Thursday night it was truncating an opposition signature drive after four provincial courts called it fraudulent and issued rulings putting a halt to the effort. Four ruling party governors, alleging fraud but presenting no public evidence, had requested injunctions from the courts earlier Thursday.

There wont be a referendum, and with the support of the constitution, we wont allow them to try to cheat our people again, one of the governors, Francisco Rangel, said in a Twitter posting.

The ruling represents a dark moment for an opposition movement that started the year buoyant, with a supermajority in congress and what its leaders thought was the political capital to end 17 years of socialist rule that left a once prosperous country struggling to feed its own people. But while Mr. Maduros popularity has continued to fall, he has handed over more power to the military while the courts neutralized the congress and blocked opposition plans to overhaul the economic model. Now, it increasingly appears that Mr. Maduro will finish out his term in 2019, even as the economy continues its collapse.

The developments came days after the electoral council announced it was postponing elections in December for governors, saying they would instead take place later in 2017. Polls have shown the opposition would easily remove Mr. Maduro in a recall and take most of Venezuelas governorships and mayors seats, which are also up for grabs next year.

This only shows the regimes deep fear of losing power, just as they already lost the popular support, an opposition party, Popular Will, said after the ruling. The party, whose leader has been jailed since 2014, has called on Venezuelans to take to the street to demand the vote.

The opposition contends the electoral council has blocked every effort to stage a referendum, which is permitted in the constitution. The governments adversaries say the council delayed the process, coming up with complex steps that werent in electoral regulations and had not been required before. The Supreme Court, staffed by magistrates close to the government, upheld the councils rulings.

Last month, the council ruled that a recall couldnt take place this year, which extinguished the oppositions goal of ending socialist rule. Had a recall been staged successfully this year, Mr. Maduro would have been removed from power, triggering national elections that polls show the opposition would have won.

Since last months ruling, Mr. Maduros opponents were instead hoping for an election next year. Under that scenario, Mr. Maduro could be removed, though his vice president would replace him and finish out his term.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-electoral-officials-suspend-presidential-recall-referendum-process-1477010629

[TBoneTX 46,445]

Thus plummets a formerly functional country.

[Dashinka 24,999]

Thus plummets a formerly functional country.

No doubt. To me it really tells something about the consequences of elections. Way back when, the people of Venezuela voted in Chavez based on the Santa Claus promises he made. Little did they know....

[TBoneTX 46,445]

Ecuador has been heading in the same direction. If Correa doesn't rewrite the Ecu Constitution again to enable his own election, he'll retire filthy-rich to Belgium after ensuring the installation of his leftist partner, the aptly named Lenin Moreno.

[Dashinka 24,999]

More from this fiasco. I think the second to last paragraph I posted says a lot.

CARACAS, VenezuelaVenezuelas government, steadily more authoritarian in recent years, cast off more vestiges of democracy Thursday night, when electoral authorities extinguished the oppositions efforts to recall President Nicolás Maduro by referendum.

The action came days after the government postponed December elections for governors that it would have badly lost and stripped the legislature of one of the last powers it had left: its constitutional right to pass a federal budget.

Taken together, the moves signal the end of opposition hopes that Mr. Maduro could be removed from power through referendum, as provided for under the constitution, or have his executive power checked. And they fuel growing doubt about whether Mr. Maduros ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela will hold presidential elections scheduled for 2018.

Public figures and intellectuals decried the latest moves in a country with one of Latin Americas longest and strongest democratic traditions.

Democracy doesnt exist without the separation of powers, without elections and without votes, Alberto Barrera, a noted author here, said in an online column this week. That has another name.

The government followed the referendums suspension by issuing travel bans for 11 opposition leaders, including former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and Jesús Torrealba, the general secretary of the opposition alliance.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-moves-signal-gutting-of-democracy-1477068719

[TBoneTX 46,445]

Why do so many newspapers and news feeds refer to slimeballs as "Mr."?

[JayJayH 546]

More from this fiasco. I think the second to last paragraph I posted says a lot.

CARACAS, VenezuelaVenezuelas government, steadily more authoritarian in recent years, cast off more vestiges of democracy Thursday night, when electoral authorities extinguished the oppositions efforts to recall President Nicolás Maduro by referendum.

The action came days after the government postponed December elections for governors that it would have badly lost and stripped the legislature of one of the last powers it had left: its constitutional right to pass a federal budget.

Taken together, the moves signal the end of opposition hopes that Mr. Maduro could be removed from power through referendum, as provided for under the constitution, or have his executive power checked. And they fuel growing doubt about whether Mr. Maduros ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela will hold presidential elections scheduled for 2018.

Public figures and intellectuals decried the latest moves in a country with one of Latin Americas longest and strongest democratic traditions.

Democracy doesnt exist without the separation of powers, without elections and without votes, Alberto Barrera, a noted author here, said in an online column this week. That has another name.

The government followed the referendums suspension by issuing travel bans for 11 opposition leaders, including former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and Jesús Torrealba, the general secretary of the opposition alliance.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-moves-signal-gutting-of-democracy-1477068719

It seems like every time you get into the business of 'banning things' or encroaching on people because you 'know what's best for them', nothing good has ever ensued.

Ever.

Edited October 23, 2016 by JayJayH