December 1st 2008, by Federico Fuentes - Green Left Weekly
Supporters and opponents of Venezuela’s
Bolivarian revolution have come out with differing assessments post the
November 23 regional elections, which Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
had defined as the most important electoral contest yet for the process
of change.
December 1st 2008, by Venezuela-Australia Solidarity Network
The Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network stands in solidarity
with President Chavez and the grassroots Bolivarian movement against
the right wing's latest attacks. We call for the democratic process in
Venezuela to be respected by the new oppostion governors, and for an
end to all United States interference in Venezuela's sovereign affairs.
What will be the relationship between municipal
government and participatory projects in this new post-election climate? Indeed what is the
relationship between elections for municipal government and more participatory
processes?
November 29th 2008, by ABN (Jesus Inojosa) and Yvke Mundial
The [Venezuelan] president asked a CNN correspondent and anchor of that channel to clarify that he never said that he “would bring tanks into the street” if the opposition won. He also requested that Glenda Omana straighten out that the government did not order any “information prohibition” in Venezuela.
It’s time to calm down and sit down together in order to
evaluate in depth with the comrades, and draw conclusions that truly reflect
reality. It is necessary to open a profound debate within the United Socialist
Party of Venezuela (PSUV), to reflect and proceed with self-criticism, as
President Chávez indicated on Sunday night.
The catastrophic collapse of Chavismo was not to
be, but nor was this a crushing victory or a clear mandate for the drastic radicalization
of the revolutionary process. What was revealed was not feet of clay, but an Achilles'
heel, giving necessary pause to revolutionaries and imposing reflection on some
serious strategic losses.
November 26th 2008, by Venezuela Information Office
Regional elections held in Venezuela on November 23rd have been
portrayed in the U.S. media as a defeat for to the government of
President Hugo Chávez, when in fact the results strongly favor his
party, the PSUV. The vast majority of state governorships and
mayoralties, including those in many strategic parts of the country
such as the Orinoco Oil Belt, remain under pro-government leadership.
November 26th 2008, by Redmond O'Neill - Comment Is Free
Chavez achieved a
sustained rate of economic growth outstripping that of most of Latin
America and he put these resources to use tackling the most acute
issues of poverty, health and education. These elections show
that Chavez now faces a more specific but equally imperative challenge,
that of radically improving the infrastructure, and with it, the
efficiency and quality of life in the country's main cities.
The pro-Chavez United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 72% of
the governorships in the November 23, 2008 elections and 58% of the
popular vote, dumbfounding the predictions of most of the
pro-capitalist pollsters and the vast majority of the mass media who
favored the opposition.
