The United States is not the only country having presidential elections this autumn. Tomorrow, Venezuelans go to the polls in a critical election that will either keep Hugo Chavez in power for six more years or elect challenger and reformer Henrique Capriles. While polling suggests Chavez will eek out a victory, public polling has been traditionally unreliable so it is not implausible that Capriles would win.
In August, I shared my reasons for not visiting Venezuela with Chavez in power, and I am hopeful that Chavez will lose, opening the door for me to add Venezuela to my travel list. And I would think the airline industry (not to mention the U.S. government) would love a Chavez defeat—
Oil helps to explain why Chávez is vilified in the US. In 2000, a year after taking power, he made his first mark on global affairs with a tour of the Middle East to lobby key Opec members – Iraq, Iran, Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – to drive oil prices higher. Since then, the cost of Brent crude has risen from less than $20 a barrel to more than $100.
But more importantly, I hope that Chavez loses for the sake of the Venezuelan people. Hyperinflation, corruption, and waste have plagued Venezuela and the economy is not good, even as oil prices have risen over the last year. Surely, an oil rich nation with a vibrant people does not need to suffer the economic plight they currently endure.
It is tough to conclude that Chavez’s lobbying of OPEC has had much to do with the price of oil.
Nationalizing privately held resources may have more to do with the US’s dislike. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/01/201215194512924679.html
Yet, despite being owned by Venezuela, Citgo still operates in the US! http://citgo.com/AboutCITGO/CompanyHistory.jsp
Venezuela’s Angel Falls, the tallest uninterrupted waterfall, would be quite nice to see! Hopefully change is coming!
I travel to Latin America lots, and with no love for Chavez I have to say that the elite (mostly white) of Venezuela are among the most annoying and dare I say stupidest group of people on the planet. There is no merit among their kind, they were outwardly racist (only less so now) and they have ruled in that nation is the worst way (excitedly corrupt themselves) in the past. Sad that their idiocy has lead to this outcome (for the poor and long suffering professional classes) but one cannot say they (the elite) did not have it coming.
Chavez won the elections.
Looks like my trip to Angel Falls will have to wait.