• Chavez 'would accept' Venezuela election defeat
    2 replies, posted
[release] [IMG]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57884000/jpg/_57884450_013699973-1.jpg[/IMG]Mr Chavez defended his decision to repatriate Venezuela's gold reserves[B]Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has told opposition leaders that he will relinquish power if he loses elections due in October.[/B] In his annual address to Congress, Mr Chavez said the opposition should also accept the result if he wins. The left-wing leader - who has governed Venezuela for 13 years - is seeking another six-year term in office. The opposition coalition will hold a primary election next month to choose a unity candidate to stand against him. Some of Mr Chavez's strongest critics have suggested he might cling on to power at all costs if he were defeated at the polls. But he told the National Assembly in Caracas that he would accept the election result whatever it was. "If any of you win the elections I will be the first to recognise it, and I ask the same of you," he told opposition leaders. "We are going to show our democratic maturity." [B]Crucial year[/B]Mr Chavez, 57, said he expected 2012 to be a "year of tests" for Venezuela, but he was confident that peace and respect for national institutions would be maintained. The Venezuelan leader reiterated that he had recovered his health after having surgery and chemotherapy for cancer last year. Recent opinion polls suggest he still has the support of just over 50% of the population, making him the favourite to win the election. Heavy spending on housing and welfare - funded by Venezuela's oil wealth - has helped sustain his traditional support base among the poor. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition is hoping that dissatisfaction with rising violent crime and inflation will help it to unseat him. Six candidates are standing for a primary election due on 12 February that will chose a unity candidate to challenge Mr Chavez. [B]Miami shutdown[/B]In his speech, Mr Chavez also announced that he intended to close Venezuela's consulate in Miami after the US expelled a diplomat. Venezuela's consul in Miami, Livia Acosta Noguera, was ordered to leave the US last week following allegations that she discussed a possible cyber attack on the US while based in Mexico. Mr Chavez called the accusations against her "unjust" but indicated he would not be expelling a US diplomat in response. [/release] [URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16558160[/URL] I call bullshit
I don't. If there's one thing Chavez has been consistent with, it's democracy. He did bring it to the nation and he did fairly win elections, according the the UN who oversaw the latest. His opposition numbers have hovered around 48-58%, which you don't get in a nation with limited opposition or semi-democracy. I see no reason why he wouldn't keep to his promises. He may be kooky, but he's not dishonest. One of his strongest positions has always been democracy. I think he's always had his heart in the right place. The question is how free the opposition media will be this year. He's tried to limit them some. That's the only real concern.
Yeah, just watch him. He'll get voted out, and he'll all be like, "yeah, I was getting kind of tired being president, anyway. It's was pretty lame to be honest."
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