http://www.worldmeets.us/images/chavez-heaven_iht.png

International Herald Tribune, France

[Click Here for More Cartoons]

 

 

Death of Hugo Chavez Opens Way for Democratic Recovery in Venezuela (La Tercera, Chile)

 

"His obsession with confronting the United States; his proximity to the Cuban regime; his active support for left regional movements; and on the basis of the 'Bolivarian socialism' that he promoted across Latin America, he became a kind of benchmark on the left. ... His death opens the possibility that Venezuelans could move toward a democratic normalization unthinkable while the omnipresent figure of the 'Comandante' was alive."

 

EDITORIAL

 

Translated By Florizul Acosta Perez

 

March 12, 2013

 

Chile - La Tercera - Original Article (Spanish)

After Chavez: Venezuelans face the future deprived of one of the most charismatic Latin American leaders ever.

 

BBC NEWS VIDEO: Outpouring of grief as Venezuela holds state funeral for Hugo Chavez, March 8, 00:02:20RealVideo

The death of Hugo Chavez ends a cycle in the political history of Venezuela and the Latin American left, and begins a period of uncertainty over what will happen to the country without its deceased political leader, who fashioned a custom-made Bolivarian revolution.

 

Since 1992, when he burst on the scene after leading a failed coup against the government of Carlos Andres Perez, Chavez has been a central figure on the Venezuelan political scene. After reaching the presidency in 1999, he resorted to the route of the plebiscite, tirelessly molding a regime in which he eventually controlled all the levers of power, vesting in his person tremendous responsibility, and undercutting all efforts by a discredited opposition to challenge him (including an attempted coup). Sheltered by the wealth derived from high oil prices and the political use he made of those funds, he designed and implemented a social policy based on subsidies and so-called "missions." This, coupled with his charisma and extremely aggressive speech toward anyone who disagreed with his government (including the media), made him a very popular leader who was defeated only once at the polls.

 

This is how Chavez came to completely dominate the political landscape of his country, and his adherents came to depend on him so much that they even managed to override the Constitution and make changes Chavez designed himself to allow him to remain in the presidency - despite the fact that his health wasn't up to it.

 

His obsession with confronting the United States; his proximity to the Cuban regime; his active support for left regional movements; and on the basis of the “Bolivarian socialism" that he promoted across Latin America, he became a kind of benchmark on the left. He also found allies in several governments and numerous movements and political parties in the hemisphere, many of which he generously funded. The continent was divided between countries that identified with the Bolivarian movement and those which retained democratic practices, the separation of powers and respect for civil liberties.  

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:

Ahora, Cuba: What Barack Obama Should Be Told about Hugo Chavez

La Razon, Bolivia: President Morales Says 'Empire Has All the Tools' to Poison Chavez

Guardian, U.K.: Death of Chavez Brings Chance of Fresh Start for U.S. and Latin America

Global Times, China: Demonized by the West, Hugo Chavez was a Friend to China

Mehr News Agency, Iran: Ahmadinejad: Chavez Will Be 'Resurrected with Christ the Savior'

Guardian Unlimited, U.K.: Claim that Chavez will be Resurrected with Jesus 'Went Too Far'

El Nacional, Venezuela: Maduro Asserts: U.S. 'Infected' Chavez with Deadly Illness

Novosti, Russia: With Chavez' Death, Communist Chief Sees a U.S. 'Cancer' Plot  

La Voz Mundo, Venezuela: Facing Reelection Fight, Hugo Chavez Plays 'Obama Card'

Diario de Cuyo, Argentina: Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama: A Common Electoral Challenge  

El Tiempo, Colombia: What Good is Our New, U.S.-Free 'Community'?  

Estadao, Brazil: In Latin America, Rhetoric Triumphs Over Reality  

La Razon, Bolivia: Latin America Has Excluded the U.S. … So What Now?

ABC, Spain: Hugo Chavez Calls Terrorism Indictment a U.S.-Spanish Plot  

Folha, Brazil: Latin American Unity Cannot Be Dependent on Excluding the U.S.  

La Jornada, Mexico: Latin America's March Toward 'Autonomy from Imperial Center'

La Jornada, Mexico: Militarization of Latin America: Obama 'Ahead of Bush'

O Globo, Brazil: U.S. Navy Shows That What U.S. Can Do, Brazil Can Also Do  

Clarin, Argentina: Resurrected U.S. Fourth Fleet Creates Suspicion Across South America

Le Figaro, France: U.S. Navy 'Resurrects' Fourth Fleet to Patrol Latin America

Semana, Colombia: Hugo Chávez Isn't 'Paranoid' to Fear the U.S. Marines  

Tal Cual, Venezuela: President Chavez 'Puts Early End' to Honeymoon with Obama

El Universal, Venezuela: Obama is No 'Black in Chavez' Pocket'

Gazeta, Russia: Latin Americans Will Sooner or Later Come 'Crawling' to the U.S.

Gazeta, Russia: Castro and Chavez Split Over Obama

El Tiempo, Colombia: 'Tropical Napoleon' Melts Before Obama's 'Empire'

El Tiempo, Colombia: Survey: Obama 'Most Popular Leader' in the Americas

El Espectador, Colombia: Cuba in Obama's Sights

El Mundo, Colombia: Obama: A Man Who Takes His Promises Seriously

La Razon, Bolivia: President Morales Suspects U.S. Behind Attempt on His Life

 

 

The personal touch that Chavez gave all of his activities makes questions regarding the viability of his political project in Venezuela and the region legitimate and unavoidable. Although domestically, he intended to leave everything well secured, naming Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his political heir, his absence is likely to give rise to unforeseen dynamics within chavismo and within the opposition, which is more organized today than it has been for the past 14 years. It is obvious that in Venezuela, there is no leader with Chavez' political weight.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

Like Worldmeets.US on Facebook

 

Therefore, his death opens the possibility that Venezuelans could move toward a democratic normalization unthinkable while the omnipresent figure of the “Comandante” was alive. Something similar may happen to the Latin American left, which for a moment retreated to levels of populism and state control that had for a moment seemed overcome, but which, under the influence of Chavez, returned as part of normal discourse and practice.

 

CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH VERSION

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By Worldmeets.US Mar. 12, 2013, 12:29pm