The use of State resources, the closure of media and the disqualification of candidates, in the style of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua did not work so that Chavismo could continue with its power in the Barinas state. On January 9, 22 years of government by the family of Hugo Chavez and the opposition took over the reins of the so-called “cradle of the revolution.”
Sergio Garrido, for the Democratic Unity Table (MUD) obtained 172,497 votes, which is equivalent to 55.36 percent; while Jorge Arreaza, ex-foreign minister, ex-minister and son-in-law of Hugo Chávez obtained 128,583 votes, reaching 41.27 percent. The opposition celebrates but there are also several aspects to reflect.
For many it was unthinkable that the opposition would win in Barinas. Chávez’s father and brothers made that place their fiefdom, but on November 21 with a difference of about 100 votes, Freddy Superlano gave the first blow, so the government did everything possible to call new elections and try to save the Chavista morality, so on January 9 the conditions were not simpler.
Medina believes that in these elections there was not only abuse of power but that conditions were worse than on November 21. “The reds tried to transfer the Nicaraguan model, disqualify all those who wanted to be candidates, curtail freedom of expression, but the Nicaraguan experiment did not work,” the former deputy told EL TIEMPO.
It has been a harsh and bitter defeat for the government of Nicolás Maduro, but that does not mean that Madurismo has weakened, or at least that is what Jesús Yánez, a member of the MUD, believes, who explains that the Venezuelan ruler at the international level tries to demonstrate that he is a democratic president who accepts a defeat of this type and who “is abiding by the will of the people.”
The Reds tried to transfer the Nicaraguan model, disqualify all those who wanted to be candidates, curtail freedom of expression, but the Nicaraguan experiment did not work.
For Yánez, “the madurismo is strengthened and the Chávez family is reduced to the son-in-law being annulled.” However, Chavismo continues as a reality “with which we must seek to mediate for a peaceful transition.”
Both analysts agree that if the opposition knows how to “manage with humility” this victory, it is a leverage for future actions as well as to recover the vote as a way to reinstitutionalization of the country.
The new governor of Barinas has said that he will not persecute his opponents and that on the contrary he will work to solve the problems of that state, however, a fear of the political sectors is that what the regime has called “protectors” will be imposed on him. that they are officials with more power than regional leaders who even manage resources, nullifying the functions of the governors.
With the result of Barinas it is also clear that the regional leaderships are beginning to gain space, as was demonstrated on November 21. With this victory, the opposition wins four governorships out of 23, Barinas being the most significant, but without forgetting Zulia and Cojedes, which were also taken from Chavismo.
Juan Guaidó insisted that the “cradle of the revolution” gave a lesson in resistance and humility, emphasizing the importance of regional leadership.
After this, the opposition is challenged to strive to maintain national unity to achieve its objectives. Luis Vicente León, political analyst, believes that this victory is a symbol to support electoral participation but also with the articulation of the institutional opposition “around a homogeneous campaign and the concentration of the vote in the real forces of the opposition without playing the game. to the divisionists ”.
Ana Rodríguez Brazón
EL TIEMPO correspondent
CARACAS VENEZUELA
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