Venezuela awoke this morning to a distinctively different political landscape: Hugo Chavez has lost in the most populated areas of the country, namely Caracas, Miranda, Carabobo and Zulia. The loss of Caracas is all the more significant, considering against whom the chavista candidate lost: an old timer, from once powerful Accion Democratica party, Antonio Ledezma.
But it gets better. In a country where the large majority of the population is urban, historically concentrated in few big, densely populated cities, filled by poverty-stricken barrios, Hugo Chavez and his hand picked candidates have lost. The argument that he enjoys massive support among the poor has been shatered by the victory of Carlos Ocariz, from Primero Justicia, in Petare, arguably Latin America's biggest shanty.
So Chavez is no longer supported by the majority of the vote in the most populated areas of Venezuela, nor have his candidates ever won a single election in any of the country's universities, therefore his future, in light of sinking oil prices, looks very bleak indeed.
El rojo, rojito se esta lavando folks. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people for some time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
