Chavez or Capriles? Massive turnout as Venezuelans vote in pivotal election ... - Washington Post [getdailynow.blogspot.com]
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CARACAS, Venezuela â€" President Hugo Chavez’s crusade to transform Venezuela into a socialist state, which has bitterly divided the nation, was put to the stiffest electoral test of his nearly 14 years in power on Sunday in a closely fought presidential election.
Both camps said turnout was high, with millions of Venezuelans casting ballots. Long lines formed at many polling centers, with queues of hundreds of voters snaking along sidewalks and around blocks in many parts of Caracas.
Pres. Hugo Chavez's crusade to transform Venezuela into a socialist state is being put to the stiffest electoral test of his nearly 14 years in power. Voters started lining up hours before dawn to cast their ballots in the presidential election.
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Chavez’s challenger, Henrique Capriles, united the opposition in a contest between two sides that distrust each other so deeply that some expressed concerns whether a close election result would be respected.
“We will recognize the results, whatever they are,†Chavez told reporters after casting his vote in Caracas.
Chavez was greeted at the polling center by American actor Danny Glover and Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu. He said he was pleased to see a “massive turnout.â€
Capriles said after voting that the election had been free of violence.
“We’ve shown the world that we’re resolving our differences peacefully through the vote, as it should be,†Capriles said. He noted that he had never lost an election and said he was wearing his “lucky†brown suede shoes.
“Today Venezuela is going to win,†Capriles said. “We’re going to respect what the people say.â€
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
If Chavez wins a new six-year term, he gets a free hand to push for an even bigger state role in the economy, further limit dissent and continue to befriend rivals of the United States.
With a Capriles win, an abrupt foreign policy shift can be expected, including halting preferential oil deals with allies such as Cuba, along with a loosening of state economic controls and an increase in private investment. A tense transition would likely follow until the January inauguration because Chavez’s political machine thoroughly controls the wheels of government.
Some Venezuelans were nervous about what might happen if disputes erupt over the election’s announced outcome.
“There’s a little anxiety on one side and also on the other,†said Deyanira Duarte, who voted for Capriles in downtown Caracas. She said she was worried about what could happen if there was a dispute over the results.
Others said they were simply pleased to be out backing their candidate.
Carlos Julio Silva, a bodyguard employed by a private security company, said whatever his faults, Chavez deserved re-election for helping people with programs including free medical care and public housing.
“There is corruption, there’s plenty of bureaucracy, but the people have never had a leader who cared about this country,†Silva said after voting for Chavez at a school in the Caracas slum of Petare. “That’s why the people are going to re-elect Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias.â€
Chavez’s critics said the president has inflamed divisions by labeling his opponents “fascists,†‘’Yankees†and “neo-Nazis,†while Chavez’s loyalists alleged Capriles would halt generous government programs that assist the poor.
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