Last week, the chavista electoral council (CNE) indefinitely suspended the recall referendum process and postponed regional elections that were supposed to take place in December, without providing a new date. The CNE and government allege that the opposition committed fraud in the collection of signatures to start the recall process—but without providing any proof. Of course. After all, Maduro claims this is all part of an international conspiracy against him led by Obama who—Maduro claims—doesn’t want to leave office without overthrowing the Bolivarian regime first. (Wasn’t that one of his campaign pledges?)
With that logic, it makes perfect sense to avoid listening to the will of the people through elections. The government’s paranoia and autocratic ambitions, though, have now removed the last remaining process for resolving the country’s wrenching political polarization and economic collapse. Rather than listening to the will of the people—who poured into the streets on Wednesday—the government relied on the old, tired and now illogical trick of simply maligning the popular will, telling his own small clutch of demonstrators that he will not allow the oligarchy to come back in the presidential palace ever again. That part is clear; unfortunately he’s destroying the country and creating a time bomb by doing so. The people—in front of Maduro—have spoken: “Venezuela, welcome to dictatorship” (or as Guns N’ Roses would say, “the jungle” where sadly now, the government can do anything it wants and anything can happen, with no recourse for the majority of Venezuelan citizens.)
Cartoon credit: Arcadio Esquivel, Costa Rica, Caglecartoons.com
