Chavez heir begins 6-year term with weak mandate

[Bacchus4.0]

http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-heir-begins-6-term-weak-mandate-070617745.html

.View Photo.Venezuelan National Guard soldiers …

....CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Nearly half Venezuela's voters don't want Nicolas Maduro in the presidential chair. He's inherited a dysfunctional economy, a deteriorating power grid and one of the world's highest homicide rates. And a glimmer of discontent already has surfaced in the movement of Hugo Chavez, who picked him to carry on the socialist revolution.

Maduro was certified the winner of a disputed presidential election Monday amid questions about his ability to lead after he squandered a double-digit lead in the race despite an outpouring of sympathy following Chavez's death.

Even before he deals with Venezuela's mounting problems, Maduro faces a challenge to his victory.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles demanded a recount of Sunday's election that he narrowly lost. As the National Electoral Council proclaimed Maduro the victor, people stood on their balconies in Caracas apartment buildings banging pots and pans in protest. Across town, thousands of students briefly clashed with National Guard troops who fired tear gas and plastic bullets.

The tensions persisted through the evening. Residents resumed their pot-banging as Maduro held a news conference, some pouring out into the streets.

Anti-Maduro protests also broke out in other regions, including Chavez's home state of Barinas.

[djean111]

1. It looks to me like the pot-banging is quite orchestrated.

I take anything from Yahoo News with a pound of salt.

"Nearly half of the United State's voters don't want Obama in the presidential chair".

[joshcryer]

3. The pot-banging is called cacerolazo.

It's a popular form of protest in Latin America: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacerolazo

Capriles called for it so I suppose you can say it was orchestrated, indeed.

But once you hear the pots you can decide to join in if you want.

"Nearly half of the United State's voters don't want Obama in the presidential chair".

The analog would be if Clinton served 3-4 terms (not possible, but hypothetically) always getting 60-70% of the vote and then suddenly Obama got elected with 50%.

[djean111]

4. Yes, I agree about the exact analog.

But - it looks to me like this election was pretty closely watched, and whether the voting result is narrower than expected, IMO, shouldn't have anything to do with certifying the actual results. Right now, it looks like some are saying that Maduro should not be named the winner because he didn't win by enough votes.
I would be more suspicious if Chavez himself had gotten re-elected with only a little more than 50%.
Obama only got a little less than 53% of the votes in 2008, and I would have thought that America would have been so disgusted by Bush that the percentage would have been higher. Probably Ralph Nader's fault, though.

[joshcryer]

5. He's already been named.

What the drama about is whether there will be a recount. Since he's been proclaimed the winner, there isn't likely to be a recount, so, yeah. (edit: I still think there's a chance for a recount as the chavistas have nothing to lose if they didn't do anything by doing a recount and it would destroy Capriles politically if this is all theater.)

Capriles will peacefully march, file the recount paperwork and wait and see what happens. Technically he has 40 days to do so, but because Maduro has been proclaimed President the CNE can easily shoot it down and the Supreme Court can shut down the recount when they sue the CNE (the same court that found that Chavez is only absent if he declares himself absent).

People worried about Capriles fomenting civil war or chaos are just beating the drums and wanting that to happen but the opposition doesn't have the stomach to go to civil war (this is even more so because if that happens they'll have years of non-recognition by all the countries that have already announced support for Maduro).

[djean111]

7. Thank you for the clarification and information.

Much appreciated.
I read some account of a box of paper ballots falling off a truck on the way to a storage facility or something and that reminded me of Florida in 2000. We saw pictures of ballot boxes in roadside canals.

[Bacchus4.0]

6. yes, the protest was orchestrated, and?????

is that allright with you? A popular protest.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. I'm confused: Did he not get more votes than the other gent?

He'll be their Harry Truman.