Chavez suffers defeat

[hjmick]

Well, it would seem as though the people of Venezuela have spoken. Now let's see what Chavez will be willing to do to change the outcome.

This is an update of an earlier AP story.


Chavez Loses Constitutional Vote
Dec 3 01:29 AM US/Eastern

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez suffered a stinging defeat in a vote on constitutional changes that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely, the chief of National Electoral Council said Monday.

Voters defeated the sweeping measures by a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent, Tibisay Lucena said.

Complete story... (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8T9P9C81&show_article=1)

[5stringJeff]

Chavez = pwn3d!!!

[hjmick]

I was fooled by an earlier thread that led one to believe his referendum had passed. Go figure.

Of course the problem now is that Chavez could very easily throw out the vote and start over or some such thing.

[diuretic]

That's a good result. No way should any politician be given power for life.

[Kathianne]

Considering how long they waited to release those figures, with the new machines and everything, they must really have worked to get the election to within 2%. Such good news!

[diuretic]

Paradoxically it strengthens Chavez. Have a look at what the Russians were up to at the elections! :laugh2:

[Kathianne]

Paradoxically it strengthens Chavez. Have a look at what the Russians were up to at the elections! :laugh2:

You are right, there! Putin and Russia are something else altogether. It looks like business may have been right by not investing there after the collapse. I thought it so wrong, still not sure on that. I just remember that the argument went they had done so twice before, with the investments being taken over by the state, wasn't going to happen again.

[Kathianne]

From one of the Venezuelan blogs I was watching last night. Read from bottom-up:

http://daniel-venezuela.blogspot.com/2007/12/election-day-post-doomsday-vote.html



The election day post: the doomsday vote

1:30

Chavez sheepishly trying to explain the delay, trying to pretend that he delayed the result because he wanted to be sure, least we had a scenario Florida like.

As I had a good friend saying: there are things that are better to listen to than to be deaf....

Meanwhile, the sheepish Chavez we saw in 2002, on April 13 at night and within a few hours the real creature was already surfacing again. Oh well, let's enjoy that victory no matter how narrow it is. At least we are going to avoid immediate troubles and perhaps even a relaxed Christmas for a change. Real problems come next year. The inflation for November was 4.4%. What are the prospects for next year? They are rough......

1:20 AM

Fireworks in San Felipe. Chavez on cadena!!!

1:17

Tibisay Lucena head of the CNE has announced that the NO has won!!!!! Less than 2% margin!!!

1:04

Trouble at the CNE, including insults and fist fights as the CNE personnel refused to let the NO witness to attend what they are supposed to attend. Or some other situation. CNN passed it live so the whole world can see what a primitive country we are.

If Chavez decides to refuse to recognize the results and makes a coup, his total and swift end will be staggering. He better accept the results and try to find a way to get back the initiative after a few months to let the memory of the defeat subside some.

Globovision says that CNE is abotu to emit its first bulletin.


12:59

Juan Forero of the Washington Post had also to meet his deadline for press time.

12:51

The New York Times is already out. Simon Romero writes a very complete and accurate article on what was voting day in Caracas. Of course, he could not wait for the result as press time is a demanding mistress.

12:32

A soft rain has started in San Felipe. Why does it always seem to rain on election night in San Felipe?

According to Capriles from the NO head quarters, the last table closed at around 10 PM. The CNE delays are thus simply unjustifiable. All the money the state invested in automatic balloting and we get our results later than countries still using pen an paper......

12:15

While we wait. November was my best month ever in unique hits. And Sunday, still counting because my server is in a different time zone, is already my biggest day ever. The world is watching, even modest local blogs. And I am not talking abotu the return visitor today.... Thank to all the people that think this blog important enough to deserve a visit in times of angst.

PS: and now comes Instapundit.

12:01 AM, Monday 3 December

Source informs me that the NO won by 5.4% (I predicted 5 %).

23:55

This has got to be a first, carrying over two days a post...

Nothing new yet. there is an intense militarization at the CNE. What are they afraid of? Or is it a coup already under way to refuse to recognize the NO victory.

I have decided to hit the bottle. Wine, that is. There is some rosé left from the other night and at thsi point I need all the help I can get. Rosé works better than coffee.

An interesting note. I recognize that I have not bothered to seek the Yaracuy results. However I can tell you that the streets are deadly quiet. Nobody from either side is celebrating, except for an occasional bang! This probably also means that the Yaracuy results were close too.

21:59

Still nothing official. But my SMS box is full of junk. Meanwhile the NO headquarters are loudly implying their victory. It does seem that the NO won but the CNE and the government are figuring out how to present it. One thing is certain: if the SI had won convincingly, AND honestly, we would already know. One thing we can thus advance in all certitude: if the SI won, it is by the narrowest of margins.

The delay of the CNE is simply scandalous at this point!

21:05

1) Serious source tells me Chavez canceled his press conference.

2)Jorge Rodriguez on TV, with bags under eyes dropping to his knees, calling to all to keep the piece and recognizing that the election is close!!!!

20:53

This blog owner being very conservative in his predictions will not dare to emit his own opinion until he is pretty sure. However he has no problem passing along more adventurous blogs that sound strangely up to date and also who give regional results. I love regional results (sorry, Spanish). Hat tip Moses.


20:46

In the weird news series, Miguel tells us that the government has withdrawn its celebratory advertisement scheduled for tomorrow's newspapers.

[avatar4321]

dont be surprised if people mysteriously end up dead soon and this is tried again. i know i wont.

[Yurt]

And the dictator has the gall to actuall call for an end to violence.



From this moment on, let's be calm," he proposed, asking for no more street violence like the clashes that marred pre-vote protests. "There is no dictatorship here."


The guy is such an idiot that he doesn't realize that this statement makes him guilty as hell for the protests. Why didn't he call for calm before? Because he is the one who organized them and it not organized them, then tacitly allowed them which is the same.

[April15]

It is a good day for the world!

[truthmatters]

Maybe fwe should look into the voting system they use there.

It seemed to work much better than ours.

[Yurt]

Maybe fwe should look into the voting system they use there.

It seemed to work much better than ours.

to what logic do you owe this superfluous statement? or is this another hit and run accident?

[diuretic]

And the dictator has the gall to actuall call for an end to violence.





The guy is such an idiot that he doesn't realize that this statement makes him guilty as hell for the protests. Why didn't he call for calm before? Because he is the one who organized them and it not organized them, then tacitly allowed them which is the same.

What should he do, go out and call for violence? Jeez this bloke can't win with you people. You're so blinkered with your ideology that you're not thinking clearly. Check the reports, the violence was coming from both sides. Calling for an end to violence is a non-partisan act.

[diuretic]

to what logic do you owe this superfluous statement? or is this another hit and run accident?

Your election system stinks, it really does. Sorry to have to be so blunt but it's a joke.

[MtnBiker]

Chavez Loses Constitutional Vote
Dec 3 01:29 AM US/Eastern

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez suffered a stinging defeat in a vote on constitutional changes that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely, the chief of National Electoral Council said Monday.

Voters defeated the sweeping measures by a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent, Tibisay Lucena said.

Sean Penn must be really bummed.

[manu1959]

Maybe fwe should look into the voting system they use there.

It seemed to work much better than ours.

ya makes you wonder how clinton got elected twice.....

[Nukeman]

Your election system stinks, it really does. Sorry to have to be so blunt but it's a joke.
Why is it a joke. WE had dem's for 8 years now we have had Repubs for 8 years.

The voting system is not the joke its the 2 party system that is. Our system has held strong for over 200 years in its original form where/who else can make that claim...

Not to be snide or anything but OUR elections really are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I say this in the nicest way possible because I do like what you have to say "sometimes" but this is really not something you need to involve yourself in..

The libs are famous for crying foul when there is a Republican win. However, when the dems recently took over the house, the replies were..."that was GREAT"...the people are sick of the Bush administration. NO cries of..."no fair, the voting was rigged".

We as Americans need to stay out of everyone elses elections and they need to stay the hell out of ours....Agree or Disagree all you want, but thats the bottom line here:poke:

[Yurt]

What should he do, go out and call for violence? Jeez this bloke can't win with you people. You're so blinkered with your ideology that you're not thinking clearly. Check the reports, the violence was coming from both sides. Calling for an end to violence is a non-partisan act.

blinkered? a wee cheeky there mate...

why wasn't chavez out there calling for a stop to violence before? because the violence worked in his favor.

[Yurt]

Your election system stinks, it really does. Sorry to have to be so blunt but it's a joke.

:poke:

[diuretic]

Why is it a joke. WE had dem's for 8 years now we have had Repubs for 8 years.

The voting system is not the joke its the 2 party system that is. Our system has held strong for over 200 years in its original form where/who else can make that claim...

Not to be snide or anything but OUR elections really are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I say this in the nicest way possible because I do like what you have to say "sometimes" but this is really not something you need to involve yourself in..

The libs are famous for crying foul when there is a Republican win. However, when the dems recently took over the house, the replies were..."that was GREAT"...the people are sick of the Bush administration. NO cries of..."no fair, the voting was rigged".

We as Americans need to stay out of everyone elses elections and they need to stay the hell out of ours....Agree or Disagree all you want, but thats the bottom line here:poke:

No, really, the way you do things is ridiculous. The shambles in Florida and Ohio, the corruption, Diebold, all totally avoidable. I don't mind you telling me it's none of my business because I'll make it my business to comment and I'll stand corrected or better educated. I'll go on about Putin's goings-on in Russia too and discuss what Chavez is up to in Venezuala, it's all grist for the mill.

Now, we (Aus) gave you the secret ballot, so the claim that your electoral system stood for 200 years in its original form is not right.

We can help you out with your shambolic election system too but I suspect that the present system you have serves vested interests on both sides of politics (that's if you can really say there are two sides, more of a GM v Ford thing you've got going with the Dems and GOP). Why have a real democracy when that might threaten the entrenched party interests?

But seriously, the system you have is not just arcane, it's stupid. I'm not talking about the electoral colleges and the like, that's irrelevant to my concerns but I've never been able to work out why you insist on having those ridiculous voting machines and now the Diebold touch screen things and how the hell can you have a fair and free election when you've got things like hanging chads and politicians run your electoral system? I'm not being partial here - for every tricky GOP effort there's a Tammany Hall and a Boss Tweed or a Chicago City Hall and Richard J. Daley at work.

I'm not taking a cheap shot, I've thought about this for some time and I know that some might take it a personal dig. It's not.

I can understand an American getting cranky at my being presumptuous enough to be critical of your electoral system. But my views are an objective view and are defensible, I'm not just slagging it off without thought.

[diuretic]

blinkered? a wee cheeky there mate...

why wasn't chavez out there calling for a stop to violence before? because the violence worked in his favor.

I specialise in cheek :D

Good question about Chavez while it was going on. I don't know if he said anything either way. I do know that the violence was coming from both sides, not that excuses it at all.

Anyway, we're all watching what he does next aren't we?

[diuretic]

:poke:

Don't be offended, it's just an observation. I pipe up sometimes regardless of effect. I get a bee in my bonnet and off I go :laugh2: