President Hugo Chavez's desire to transform Venezuela into a socialist state was put to a vote on Sunday in a closely fought presidential election. This campaign has divided the nation. There were many Venezuelans voting and sidewalks were filled in many parts of Caracas.
Polling places were supposed to close at 6:00pm but stayed open for voters that were still waiting. Officials began counting ballots when voting was finished, but electoral officials never explained when they would release the partial returns.
Chavez's challenger, Henrique Capriles, united the opposing voters in a contest. The two sides distrust eachother so much that many expressed concern whether a close election result would be respected. Chavez said that he would recognize the results no matter what they were.
Chavez was greeted by Danny Glover and Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu. Chavez was happy there was a huge turnout. Capriles said that there was no violence at the election and that they have shown the world that they are resolving differences peacefully. Capriles said that he will respect what the people say.
The stakes in the country with the world's largest known oil reserves couldn't be higher. If Chavez wins again, he can try to get a bigger role in the economy, and he can continue to befriend enemies of the United States. If Capriles wins, there can be a change in foreign policy so that preferential oii deals with allies like Cuba will be halted. Also, there would be an increase in private investment. Some Venezuelans are nervous about potential disputes. Others were pleased to be supporting their candidates.
Some people voted for Chavez because he supported programs such as free medical care and public housing. They felt Chavez cares about his country. Other Chavez supporters were selling CDs of his campaign music. Some people voted for Caprilies because they were tired of the polarization. They said that Chavez has called his opponents "fascists", "Yankees", and "neo-Nazis".
During the campaign, there was some violence. During the election, there were were troops guarding the voting centers. Chavez's opponents were very vocal about their dislike of Chavez.
Some recent polls gave Chavez a 10 percentage point lead, but others said they were about even. Chavez said he would fight until his last breath. In 2006 Chavez won the election by 63 percentage of votes. However, he has suffered declining support due to one of the world's highest murder rate.
Capriles said Chavez has stirred up hatred, worsened the economy, and destroyed oil wealth. Regardless of the results, political analyst Ricardo Sucre said that Venezuelans would most likely remain politically divided for many years to come.
Analysis:
I think the author of this article, Ian James, wrote this to inform us about how politically divided Venezuela has been and will be for many years. The author is not biased towards either candidate. He has shown us both sides of the candidates and how they would help or destroy Venezuela.
I think that Henrique Capriles should win this election because Hugo Chavez's presidency has made the economy worse, raised the murder rate, and he has allies with United States enemies. Capriles could change all that if he were to be elected. I think it would be best to decrease the murder rate and if Chavez keeps getting re-elected, more deaths would occur. Overall, each candidate has their side and their supporters regardless of what I think.
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-vote-critical-test-divided-nation-050955556.html
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