Tight win for Chavez's successor spells uncertainty for Venezuela
Source: Agencies |
April 16, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LATE socialist leader Hugo Chavez's chosen successor Nicolas Maduro won Venezuela's presidential election by a whisker but now faces opposition protests plus a host of economic and political challenges in the OPEC nation.
The 50-year-old former bus driver, whom Chavez named as his preferred heir before dying from cancer, edged out opposition challenger Henrique Capriles with 50.7 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, according to election board returns. Capriles took 49.1 percent, a difference of just 235,000 ballots.
Capriles, whose strong showing beat most forecasts, refused to recognize the result and said his team had a list of more than 3,000 irregularities ranging from gunshots to the illegal reopening of polling centers.
"I didn't fight against a candidate today, but against the whole abuse of power," said Capriles, the 40-year-old governor of Miranda state, demanding a recount.
"Mr Maduro, you were the loser ... This system is collapsing, it's like a castle of sand - touch it and it falls."
A protracted election dispute could cause instability in a deeply polarized nation with the world's largest oil reserves.
Though some opposition supporters chanted "fraud," banged pots and pans and burned tires in protest, Capriles did not call them onto the streets en masse.
Maduro said he would accept a full recount, even as he insisted his victory was clean and dedicated it to Chavez.
"We've had a fair, legal and constitutional triumph," Maduro told his victory rally. "To those who didn't vote for us, I call for unity. We are going to work together for the security and economy of this country."
The election board said Maduro's win was "irreversible" and gave no indication of when it might carry out an audit.
Maduro's slim victory provides an inauspicious start for the "Chavismo" movement's transition to a post-Chavez era, and raises the possibility that he could face challenges from rivals within the disparate leftist coalition.
Chavez beat Capriles by 11 percentage points in October, showing how quickly the gap between the two sides has eroded without the larger-than-life presence of the former leader.
Maduro's supporters set off fireworks and some sang and danced in the streets, but celebrations were far more muted than after Chavez's re-election last year.
"On one hand, we're happy, but the result is not exactly what we had expected," said Gregory Belfort, 32, a computer technician. "It means there are a lot of people out there who support Chavez but didn't vote for Maduro, which is valid."
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Maduro and said he expected good relations to continue with a country where Moscow has big oil investments.
The narrow win leaves Maduro with less authority to lead the broad ruling alliance that includes military officers, oil executives and armed slum leaders.
The 50-year-old former bus driver, whom Chavez named as his preferred heir before dying from cancer, edged out opposition challenger Henrique Capriles with 50.7 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, according to election board returns. Capriles took 49.1 percent, a difference of just 235,000 ballots.
Capriles, whose strong showing beat most forecasts, refused to recognize the result and said his team had a list of more than 3,000 irregularities ranging from gunshots to the illegal reopening of polling centers.
"I didn't fight against a candidate today, but against the whole abuse of power," said Capriles, the 40-year-old governor of Miranda state, demanding a recount.
"Mr Maduro, you were the loser ... This system is collapsing, it's like a castle of sand - touch it and it falls."
A protracted election dispute could cause instability in a deeply polarized nation with the world's largest oil reserves.
Though some opposition supporters chanted "fraud," banged pots and pans and burned tires in protest, Capriles did not call them onto the streets en masse.
Maduro said he would accept a full recount, even as he insisted his victory was clean and dedicated it to Chavez.
"We've had a fair, legal and constitutional triumph," Maduro told his victory rally. "To those who didn't vote for us, I call for unity. We are going to work together for the security and economy of this country."
The election board said Maduro's win was "irreversible" and gave no indication of when it might carry out an audit.
Maduro's slim victory provides an inauspicious start for the "Chavismo" movement's transition to a post-Chavez era, and raises the possibility that he could face challenges from rivals within the disparate leftist coalition.
Chavez beat Capriles by 11 percentage points in October, showing how quickly the gap between the two sides has eroded without the larger-than-life presence of the former leader.
Maduro's supporters set off fireworks and some sang and danced in the streets, but celebrations were far more muted than after Chavez's re-election last year.
"On one hand, we're happy, but the result is not exactly what we had expected," said Gregory Belfort, 32, a computer technician. "It means there are a lot of people out there who support Chavez but didn't vote for Maduro, which is valid."
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Maduro and said he expected good relations to continue with a country where Moscow has big oil investments.
The narrow win leaves Maduro with less authority to lead the broad ruling alliance that includes military officers, oil executives and armed slum leaders.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
