Saudi Arabia approves new financial settlement rules for corruption cases    IMCTC launches second phase of Sahel Countries Program in Niger    Riyadh Season 2024 attracts over 18 million visitors    Disaster happened in 'world's most controlled airspace'    American and father of youngest hostages among those due for release from Gaza Saturday    Palestinian born after father was jailed hugs him for the first time    FireAid: Stars take to stage for LA benefit concert    Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78    Saudi, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional issues in phone call    MWL chief meets Italian president in Rome; thanking him for supporting two-state solution    Ettifaq sack Steven Gerrard after poor results, appoint Saad Al-Shehri as new head coach    National Cybersecurity Authority launches 2nd phase of Postgraduate Scholarship Program    GASTAT: Real GDP records growth of 4.4% in Q4 2024    Saudi Arabia launches inaugural Art Week Riyadh on April 6-13    HP is redefining the Future of Work with AI    Mona Lisa to be moved as part of major Louvre overhaul    Neymar bids heartfelt goodbye to Al-Hilal: I will always support you    Al-Nassr announces transfer of Brazilian forward Talisca to Fenerbahçe    SFDA chief rules out plan to ban sale of cigarettes or vapes    Al Hilal and Neymar mutually agree to part ways    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Chavez no help for Venezuela candidates
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 15 - 11 - 2008

After a decade of applying a Midas touch to the campaigns of Venezuelan politicians, socialist President Hugo Chavez's endorsement may not be enough to put allies in office in regional elections this month.
Chavez's own approval ratings are high and his oil-financed social programs are popular. But many of his candidates are in tough races for state and city offices in a Nov. 23 nationwide vote that will measure the depth of support for the anti-U.S. leader's self-styled socialist revolution in the OPEC nation.
Germany officially sank into recession Thursday as government figures showed Europe's largest economy contracting for the second quarter in a row.
This time, voters could deliver as many as a third of governorships to the fragmented opposition in protest over the failure of local politicians to address basic problems ranging from potholes to violent crime, pollsters say.
Chavez, in power almost 10 years, has campaigned non-stop across the country, holding up candidates' hands on live television and telling supporters a vote for his party hopefuls is a vote for their popular president.
The vote could also determine whether Chavez tries again to push through a major constitutional reform to allow him to stay in office for as long as he wins elections - a measure voters narrowly rejected last year in a referendum in his first major electoral defeat.
“Chavez supporters have not divorced themselves from the president but are simply doubting his capacity to make the best choice of candidates,” said Oscar Schemel of the polling firm Hinterlaces, who has given advice to the opposition.
In Carabobo state, which has the third-largest city by population, a Chavez-backed ex-TV star with little political experience trails in polls for a vote to replace the unpopular outgoing governor, who was also picked by the president.
In a highly symbolic vote in Sucre, a Caracas district that includes one of Venezuela's largest slums, voters may also shun a Chavez confidant and veteran of his government as mayoral candidate after years of poor administration by another ally.
“We're with Chavez, but we're not going to vote for a candidate we don't like,” said Cheo Manzun, a community activist in the southern state of Bolivar.
Manzun will vote against the current governor, backed by the president for the upcoming election, for not doing enough to fight crime or resolve chronic power outages.
Defection, dissatisfaction
Polls show a decline in recent years in the number of people who call themselves unconditional Chavez supporters, and a handful of governors this year joined the opposition ranks in public defections.
“Obviously the bandwagon effect tends to diminish as a leader remains in office over time,” said retired Gen. Alberto Muller, a presidential advisor and top official of Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
Chavez's approval ratings remain close to 60 percent - high for a leader who has been in office for almost a decade - and he will still maintain a strong grip on regional politics even in best-case opposition scenarios.
But supporters are weary of crime that kills thousands of people each year, a chronic shortage of affordable housing, deficient garbage collection and frequent electricity outages.
Governors and mayors are suffering the backlash for such failings even as Chavez woos millions of poor backers with pledges to end capitalism and destroy U.S. “imperialism.”
Chavez needs victories for his allies this month to reverse the momentum from the referendum defeat a year ago, which destroyed his aura of electoral invincibility.
After that loss, he promised to focus on bread-and-butter issues while slowing his drive to forge a socialist society. But says he will revive his push for reforms to help him remain in power when his current term ends in just over four years.
“The result of this election will offer concrete details about the chances on whether Chavez can get what he wants: to stay in office after 2013,” said Luis Vicente Leon, director of public opinion firm Datanalisis, who polls for both sides. ­ Reuters __


Clic here to read the story from its source.