Venezuela’s Errant Ride

Venezuelans will go to the polls today for the sixth time in three years to elect a national legislature. And, by all projections, the voters will retain as president Hugo Chavez, a fervid nationalist and former army colonel who has taken his country on a political roller-coaster ride, surviving so far on charisma and bluster.

The ex-paratrooper failed to gain power in a 1992 coup attempt but was elected president in 1998. He is now seeking a six-year term, saying he needs time to fulfill his campaign promises to clean up corruption and give the poor a greater share of the country’s petroleum wealth, something he has failed to deliver so far.

Chavez has devoted his time and energy to politicking and little else. He shut down the old congress, which was controlled by the opposition, and dismissed hundreds of judges whom he accused of corruption. Then, in a national referendum, he won approval of a new constitution that led to today’s voting.

While the president politicked, the country’s economy went down the drain. This year, Venezuela registered zero economic growth, and that was an improvement. Nearly 80% of the nation’s people live in poverty. Unemployment is at about 20%, spurring a devastating flight of capital from one of the world’s top 10 producers of crude oil. Crime is soaring in the cities. In the countryside, ranchers complain that their lands are being invaded by squatters. And what does the president say? “Tremble, oligarchs!” which sounds like an invitation to a lynching. Even within the military there are signs of unrest. Some retired officers insist that Chavez wants to turn the military into his political arm.

One reason today’s elections surely won’t unhorse the colonel is that he has captured the faith of the impoverished and can expect their votes. But the political picture emerging in Venezuela is that of the caudillo, a strongman of the type that a modern South American nation can live without.