Chavista Governors win in 20 Venezuelan states

by Olivia Kroth

"The forces of Chávez, the forces of the homeland, triumphed in 20 states of our country," the Venezuelan news media Patria Grande proudly announced on Monday morning, the 17th of December 2012. Five governors' seats that had been in the hands of the right wing opposition went to PSUV, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, in addition to the 15 seats it had already held before and won again in Sunday's regional elections.

"Venezuela is more Chavista than ever before," Patria Grande wrote, savouring the full triumph of PSUV. At 9 p.m. local time on Sunday evening, the president of the Venezuelan Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, announced the first irreversible results. According to CNE, the Bolivarian Revolution of Hugo Chávez took over five of the eight states held by the opposition, leaving them with only three seats in the states of Amazonas, Lara and Miranda. 

These are the victorious PSUV governors, according to Patria Grande: Aristóbulo Istúriz in the state of Anzoátegui, Ramón Carrizalez in Apure, Tareck El Aissami in Aragua, Adán Chávez in Barinas, Francisco Rangel Gómez in Bolívar, Francisco Ameliach in Carabobo, Érika Farías in Cojedes, Lizeta Hernández in Delta Amacuro, Stella Lugo in Falcón, Ramón Rodríguez Chacín in Guárico, Alexis Ramírez in Mérida, Yelitze Santaella in Monagas, Carlos Mata Figueroa in Nueva Esparta, Wilmar Castro Soteldo in Portuguesa, Henry Rangel Silva in Trujillo, José Vielma Mora in Táchira, Luis Acuna in Sucre, Luis García Carneiro in Vargas, Julio León Heredia in Yaracuy and Francisco Arias Cárdenas in Zulia. 

According to TeleSUR, the opposition lost some states that are strategically important in Venezuela: Mérida, Táchira, Zulia and Nueva Esparta. Mérida and Táchira are Andes states, former strongholds of the opposition. Táchira and Zulia border on Colombia, from where dubious influences were swapping across the border. These states had high rates of drug trafficking and contraband across the Colombian-Venezuelan border. The insular state of Nueva Esparta, with its main island of Margarita, was settled by German neo-colonialists who worked against President Chávez in every way. The new PSUV governors will surely change the course for the better in these states. 

TeleSUR reported that a strategic operational commando of Venezuelan Armed Forces guaranteed safety and security during the electoral process by patrolling all of the 36.220 voting stations in the territory. The borders to Colombia had been closed four days prior to the election date. The participation rate was 53.94 percent. Of the 17.421.946 citizens with the right to vote, 186.036 are foreigners residing more than ten years in Venezuela, a right granted by Article 64 of the Venezuelan Constitution.

Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN) quoted the Venezuelan Vice-President and Foreign Minister, Nicolás Maduro, who assisted the 8th ALBA meeting in Caracas, "Our nations are on the way to victory." ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, celebrated the 8th anniversary of its foundation on the 14th of December 2004, as well as the 200th anniversary of the Cartagena Manifesto. The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, who assisted at the ceremony, said that he wanted to share this act with his "brother, Hugo Chávez, and the people of Venezuela."

The excellent news will surely help President Hugo Chávez with a speedy recovery, to return to Caracas just in time for his presidential inauguration on the 10th of January 2013. Meanwhile, Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, announced that President Chávez is regaining forces and in good spirits. Church services and healing rituals are being held for him, not only in Venezuela and all of Latin America, but worldwide. In Bethlehem, a mass was celebrated for the Venezuelan President in the Church of the Nativity. AVN reported that the National Palestinian Authority had organized this event to pray for Hugo Chávez and to wish him good health.

In France, the Communist Party (PCF), the Bolivarian Circles and the organizations of solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela organized a demonstration of solidarity with Hugo Chávez. AVN quoted Bernard Cassen, Secretary General of "Memoires des Luttes" (Memories of the Struggles), "The changes that President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and other progressive leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean region have initiated, give us hope. Their experiences are a lesson for Europe, where problems have accumulated due to the economic crisis, for example unemployment and poverty."

Correo del Orinoco published a letter, written by Cuba's Fidel Castro to the Venezuelan Vice-President, Nicolás Maduro. The Cuban leader indicated that "the name of Hugo Chávez is admired and respected in the entire world. With optimism, our doctors are struggling to save his life. We, the Cuban revolutionaries, are Bolivarian fighters. Viva Hugo Chávez! Hasta la victoria siempre!"

The final results, regarding percentages of the Venezuelan governors' elections, have not been transmitted by CNE yet, but are expected to come out soon, while people are already celebrating in the streets. Nothing can stop Venezuelans from having a good celebration after shedding so many tears. Viva la vida, here's to life!

Prepared for publication by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru

 

Subscribe to Pravda.Ru Telegram channel, Facebook, RSS!

Author`s name Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
*
X