All eyes were on the losing candidate as election results spread around Venezuela.
After so much campaigning, and promises of victory, what would this man say to his many supporters? Would he get angry after being neutral while being pelted with insults from the winning candidate, Hugo Chavez?
The night after the election, Henrique Capriles Randonski conceded quickly, after being told that he had lost by over 10%.
Capriles stated "To know how to win, you also must know how to lose. The world of of the people is sacred." His words are said to maybe reveal a strategy that could play a key role in Venezuela's future evolving.
Many say that the way Capriles handled the situation is a model for Venezuelans. The way he responded could have an impact far beyond election day.
On the campaign trail before interviews appeared on television, Chavez described Capriles as a "dirty swine" and a "fly" that wasn't worth chasing. Chavez also assailed Capriles as a member of the bourgeoise. Chavez never acknowledged Capriles by his name. He just taunted him. Apparently Capriles defended himself, but there wasn't much back and forth going on.
"They insult me, hey, I am not going to respond with an insult. The country is not waiting for my insults. The country expects my commitment. The country expects me to offer them a future," stated Chavez.
In Sunday's vote, Chavez was still in the lead, however Capriles had 45% of the votes, therefore coming closer to beating Chavez than any other candidate has. After finding out that he had lost, Capriles was quick to reassure his supporters that he didn't believe that the polls were fraud.
Capriles compared the results to the way fans feel when Venezuela's national soccer team loses. They are not happy, but they still keep going to the stadium.
Capriles stated that he was still on his feet, as many other Venezuelans are. People need to learn from every process, and the path that has been built together, will continue in favor of a better future.
Many are proud of the way Capriles has handled the results. Conceding quickly is the best way to handle the situation to maintain civilization on the opposing side.
However, other elections have not ended so civilized. For example, in Mexico's election in 2006 the losing candidate, Andres Lopez never conceded. He claimed that the voting polls were fraud, and he never conceded.
In the U.S., candidates often bounce back after losing, and many say that is the way to go.
Analysis: I think that the author of this article, Catherine E. Shoichet, wrote this article to inform us about how Capriles reacted to the election results. I feel that she was a little biased towards Capriles because she showed many quotes of Capriles saying that he was not angry or upset, and she presented quotes about people saying how they admire Capriles. All she said about Chavez was how he insulted Capriles. She never said that Chavez was a good president or anything like that.
I believe that Capriles is reacting very well to these results. He isn't just sulking around day and night. He is responding by saying how to not give up. If I were Capriles, I would respond the same way. I would be disappointed but not defeated. I think that is how others should respond as well, and I hope that the winners of future elections will not act like Chavez.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/11/world/americas/venezuela-election-aftermath/index.html?hpt=ila_c1
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