GLOBAL COLUMN© BY TED CORDOVA

Chavez choice

Venezuelan President’s overwhelming victory now confirmed, in spite of opposition’s stentorous claims of electoral fraud - which neither OAS nor Carter Center observers could confirm after in their on the spot “quick counts”- faces a sort of hamletian choice: To be a democratic reformist or to yield to a totalitarian temptation.

According to an editorial in The Washington Post (Aug,19), Mr Chavez would accept his mandate as an opportunity to seek rconciliation in this rancorously divided country. The danger is that he will instead use his power to further constrict Venezuela’s Democratic checks and balances”.

First elected in1998, Chavez has governed as a kind of autocratic democrat, seeking to intimidate the private sector and the so called “independent media”.

As the Post suggests, an overture by Chavez to the opposition would be “ideal’ to bring peace and consolidate Venezuelan democracy, wich is the most experienced democratic model in Latin America for nearly fifty years, It was in January 23, 1958, when the last dictatorship, of oil rich and Washington supported general Marcos Perez Jimenez was kicked out from power by a popular civilian uprising.

The half a century democratic experience includes Chavez, who won elections to get the Presidency of Venezuela and since then, he has won five other electoral consultations with the people of Venezuela, a 30 million population country and fifth oil producer in the World and strategically important nation in the global world.

However, even if Chavez poclaims today, that, he won with 60 per cent support, the opposition still holds more than 40 per cent of the vote.

His “ Revolucion bolivariana” is a contained revolution.

“Will he now use his enhanced legitimacy to deepen his “revolution” in Venezuela and throughout Latin America?” asked recently Michel Shifter, of the Inter American Dialogue and professor of Latin American studies at Georgetown University.

As improbable as Chavez policy is, professor Shifter still believes that, “most notably, though hostile to the Venezuelan private sector has vigorously and successfully courted foreign investment in petroleoum. One does not hear strong complaints about Chavez in Wall Sreet.”

The Internet Venezuela Analitica magazine-one of the best in Spanish language, also reminds that with the peculiar democratic perseverance and facing a possible hardening of the “revolucion bolivariana”, the Venezuelan people will raise again like a Fenix from the ashes of the last referendum, to confront Chavez once more.

BIP