Venezuela’s president returns, but his illness raises many questions about the country’s political future

Succession planning is counter intuitive to a dictator, since they spend their entire lives dreaming about being the center of power. More worryingly for Venezuela is his state of mind, many a dictator has turned increasingly arbitrary and violent after illness, the mind following the body down its natural path. Its why we need to rely on institutions and processes, not personalities. As you say, Chavez has already weakened these.

Let's hope Venezuela rids itself of this clown sooner rather than later.

@sikko6:

Your use of scare quotes around the word "democratically" is appropriate. You delude yourself when you infer that Chavez is not a thug, incipient dictator and a wanna-be totalitarian. He's used increasing force against political foes including political arrests and imprisonments, arbitrary seizure of property, goods, and the media, and the incitement of violence against his legitimate political opposition. Courtesy of Hugo Chavez, terrorists trying to overthrow the legitimate democratic government of his neighbor Colombia, find sanctuary in Venezuela and, because of endemic corruption, so too do big-time narcos, who ship massive quantities of drugs through Venezuela to Europe (via west Africa). His brother's call for violence if need be to keep the family grip on power is only an escalation of preexisting dictatorial behaviors.

Even all of this would incite little more than moral condemnation from foreigners like myself, if Chavez was only concerned about peddling his mischief in Venezuela. But he has a pathological hatred of the United States and has chosen to strongly link himself with this countries enemies, North Korea, Libya and especially Iran, and potential enemies China and Russia. He's provided banking facilities to Iran to facilitate money laundering and support its nuclear weapons effort, and even more worryingly he's allowing Iran's Revolutionary Guards to set up "companies", "mines" and "factories" (at the same time he's nationalizing other foreign mines and factories) in Venezuela as well as allowing them to travel throughout Latin America using Venezuela as a base of operations. In this last Independence Day celebration, Chinese and Russian army units marched in the main parade. It doesn't seem to occur to Chavez that these dictatorships have modern imperial ambitions powered by their own versions of nationalism and fascism, or "corporatism" (a better word in my opinion) and they would be quite willing to use Venezuela as a foil to further their ambitions.

With respect to China, Russia and to a lesser degree Iran, Chavez is a little dog trying to run with the big dogs here. He should ponder the fate of Mussolini in this regard.

"Over the past 12 years Mr Chávez has concentrated power in his own hands. Other nominally autonomous institutions, such as the legislature and the courts, are led by acolytes, as is the army and the state oil company, PDVSA. Saying that he wanted to rule until 2031, the president has been careful not to designate a successor."

The Courts, Congress, the Army, and PDVSA and many other state companies are under the direct control of Mr. Chavez .... and the clowns in the Economist still refer to him as the "president" ... but, they refer known killers like Raul Castro as "president" of Cuba, and Bashar Assad as "president" of Syria ... then it should be no surprise that Mr. Chavez fits the bill too ... only when the Economist refers to Mr Obama, as president of the US, and Mrs. Roussef ans president of Brazil ... is when one realizes that if "words" (i.e. "president") have no clearly defined meaning ... the description of "reality" becomes much more difficult, if not impossible ...

Guys it is obvious sikko6 doesn't know what he is talking about..... here is a copy of the my reply to him on another forum:

aaah sikko6 as per usual showing how little you actually know! Anything to be a contrarian.

You again comment on something that you only have the most superficial knowledge of.... and it REALLY shows through!

"Chavez is not a dictator. I don't know where you got such information. At least you guys don't understand what democracy is. If he's a dictator, he would have been ousted long time ago".

First off, it seems that you truly have no idea what democracy is. Democracy is not just about counting votes and declaring a winner, it is about a system that lets people vote freely, without fear and able to make a decision with all the facts available. That includes letting parties and politicians operate freely without fear of imprisonment, harassment or interference.

You cannot seriously and with a straight face say that elections in Venezuela operate thus. Because if you do, then I you surely consider Singapore, North Korea and Zimbabwe to be democracies. Holding a vote does not a democracy make.

"He's no different from Europe's socialist leaders"

An extremely shallow comparison that has no basis in fact. Last time I checked no modern European leader has nationalised foreign and domestic companies, imprisoned judges (Maria Lourdes Afiuni), created a separate militia answerable only to himself or been given the power to rule by decree for 18 months only a fortnight before a new parliament (with a smaller government majority) was due to start.

So, yes I stand by my comment that Chavez is a cancer on Venezuelan society. You may think this is because I have some "unsubstantiated biased hatred against Chavez".

But it is not unsubstantiated nor biased. The facts are there for anyone to see if only they will look. Which it is clearly obvious that you haven't.

As for "his economic record is not worse than Bush-Clinton-Bush era US economy which is a catastrophy" - again you obviously have no idea what the economic conditions in Venezuela are like. In the midst of the one of the world's largest resources boom, Venezuela, which has one of the largest oil reserves in the world has only managed negative growth over the last two years. And now can't even generate enough electricity - they have to ration it.

It's economic growth this year will match Germany's, only after it has had the lowest growth and highest inflation in Latin America. And even with high oil prices, it is is forecast to run a fiscal deficit of more than 10% this year and next. The US's economy might be having problems but Venezuela should be booming.

But it isn't is it.

"At least, you should know better"..... exactly - you should!

http://www.economist.com/comment/969689#comment-969689

@sikko6

Sikko, you are really SICK if you think Venezuela is a democracy! Would you call "democratic" redistricting municipalities ahead of the National Assembly elections to ensure he maintains majority in Congress despite losing the popular vote? Would you call "democratic" congress giving him special powers a few days before the new "more balanced" congress took over? Would you call "democratic" having a biased supreme court, electoral body, army and militias at his beck and calling? Clearly, YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A DEMOCRACY IS!!!

Well, rather than turbulence, let us hope that Venezuela experiences a microburst, hurtling Chavez and his fellow scorpions straight down from their lofty position to dash them against the jagged rocks.

It angers me to see this half-bred,narcissist clown make an ass of himself giving a pitiful speech from the "Balcony of the People" to followers brought in on buses for the occasion. This so-called communist implores to God, Saint Jose Gregorio, Virgin Mary and half a dozen other saints, to help him survive his cancer. Meanwhile, my university colleague Mechanical Engineer Alejandro Pe~a Esclusa rots in jail as a political prisoner deprived of justice and treatment for his cancer. May this subnormal Tropical Furher die a slow and painful death.

Look, guys! Chavez is not a dictator. He's a *democratically* elected president. As long as majority Venezuelans support him, he won't be going nowhere. Forget your delusional dreams!

Well, I do not want anything bad to happen to Mr. Chavez. But the truth needs to be told: he represents what is most mistaken in Latin America.
What makes me particularly unhappy is to watch he call himself a legitimate Democrat.
12 year in power? Media controlled by the the state? No way, Mr. Chavez. You are not and never will be someone who stands for democracy. Venezuela deserves something better.

@sikko6

Democracy is not only about free election.
It is about minorities rights, individual rights, free media, equality before the law and much more.
I am sorry: Chavez is not and never will be a legitimate Democrat.

For the first time in over a decade Venezuelans began imagining what the country would be like without Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela’s problems are mounting. The economy has taken a two-year dive, its home to the highest inflation in the continent, and crime and violence is rampant.

Chavez is not only the pilot of the Bolivarian Revolution but also its vehicle. He not only controls the government but also most of its independent organs. With no clear replacement in sight an ailing Chavez faces a stronger opposition. In previous occasions the opposition has lacked a cohesive platform to challenge the President. This time around it seems as though the often fractured opposition has finally learned its lesson, promising to back a single candidate following primaries.

Chavismo without Chavez is much like a car without wheels: it has nowhere to go. Let’s hope the opposition doesn’t muck it up. Democracy is at stake and Venezuelans deserve to live freely and safely.

We all know the reality about Chavez's illness, please do an article with the reality that faces the country in the economic area, such as in the social area.

LOL thanks for the laugh lev.d.

Not sure why you had to shout it in capital letters though and not even sure what a "SUPERNOVIC IMPLOTION/EXPLOTION" is..... but it sounds scary.

But I'm afraid that even China is capitalist these days, workers of the world....... unite in prosperity!

Unfortunately the workers of Venezuela are getting less and less prosperity each year - hence the reason they are leaving to work elsewhere.

Better the evil you know that the one you don´t know. If Chavez is no deposed a much worse form of "Revolution" (Robolución) could ensue.

It looks like the best scenario for Venezuela is for an ailing Chavez to take power for a few more years a let this soviet-cuban styled neo-socialist pseudo dictatorship madness slowly fizzle out to have a decent democracy re-instated.

Will Fidel outlive Chavez?

It is definately true that only the good die young! I wonder what potion those cuban doctors have been giving them both, but it seems to work miracles.

Absolute dictators seem to last forever, and Hugo Chavez has clearly made himself the abolute dictator of Venezuela. Whatever, he underwent in Cuba he likely has many years of absolute dictatorship to impose on the Venezuelan people, and he clearly got advice and orders from his masters in Cuba. I wonder how the Venezuelan people like being ruled remotely through Chavez by Cuba?

It would be rather ironic that Fidel Castro, concerned at the prospect of his political heir´s disability and ths potential for his regime´s demise in the process, might be compelled in reaching out at center left opposition groups in order to secure a measure of continumm of oil supplies. Its going to be quite an interesting transitional process indeed.

Look Guys,

Chavez is a kind entertaining leader. Without him, the world will be rather boring!

@lev.d.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

LONG LIVE THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REVOLUTION IN VENEZUELA AND WORLDWIDE! THE CHAMPIONS OF "DEMOCRACY" ON THESE PAGES, ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE GARBAGE FED TO THEM BY THE EXPLOITERS FROM BIRTH!
CAPITALISM IS DOOMED, HELD TOGETHER BY FICTITIOUS CAPITAL, AND SOON TO COLLAPSE IN A SUPERNOVIC IMPLOTION/EXPLOTION....
WORKERS OF VENEZUELA AND THE WORLD, UNITE!