Chavez in a landslide?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Chavez wins more than 95% approval in latest elections!

Well, to be fair, all of the opposition parties pulled out of the elections in protest of Chavez' heading up the national election commisssion in V. So all the seats in the legislature will by Chavez' supporters -- some of whom are vowing to pass legislation that can keep him in office until 2030 -- longer than even he has said he wanted to (so far).

So, with only 25% of the electorate bothering to vote, does Chavez have a real mandate to govern? With no opposition voices in government at all, will world opinion continue to support him? Did the opposition parties grossly underestimate the impact of their protest?

Andres Oppenheimer, a columnist in Miami, is claiming that both sides lost. Chavez loses because he will appear less "democratic" and less a popular force. The opposition loses too, though, since the world is not going to apply much pressure on Chavez because they really don't care very much.

Chavez is now in total control -- legislature, courts, executive, primary economic industry -- now it's time to see if he can actually make good on things for Venezuela. Most bets in the US are on the "don't pass" line.

[InsaneApache]

Shit man...an' there was I thinkin' it was about a few 'brazillion' workin class scuffers gettin' buried alive under 'Uncle Tonys' orders..