Dictator?

Hugo Chavez -- often portrayed by as an authoritarian dictator by the US press -- has conceded a narrow defeat on constitutional reforms and tipped his hat to the Democratic process.

Interesting, how reality strays from the US narrative.

I think this is, in a way, good news for Chavez. Yes, winning with a 60 percent mandate would have been his ideal choice. But by conceding a razor-thin defeat, and humbly tipping his hat to the Democratic process, the accusations that he is an authoritarian become transparently fruitless.

Had he, for example, won less than a percentage point, he would not have had the clear mandate he needs to implement what he calls, "21st century socialism."

Chavez still has until 2012 to try again: the experiment continues, and the world watches.

Reuters: Chavez Wins

Reuters is reporting that Chavez has won the constitutional referendum.

The Chavez Reforms Cont.

As I admitted in a recent post, I have reservations about some of the latest constitutional reforms that are to be voted on on Dec. 2 in Venezuela (though I support most of them). But a recent article by Mark Weisbrot of London's the New Statesman raises a point that I was not aware of and ought to be considered.

I wrote:

As my friend Steve Maher has told me, some of the proposed reforms, such as giving the office of the president power to abolish due process in the case of an emergency, are not only unsettling, but a violation of international law. (FYI: if someone could direct me to the wording of the controversial provisions please shoot me an e-mail)

However, Weisbrot notes that Chavez is not really the source of this reform as well as some other controversial reforms.

There are other amendments that are more controversial, most of them added not by Chavez but by the National Assembly (Chavez cannot veto amendments added by the Assembly; these have to go to the voters).

For example, one amendment would allow the government to suspend the "right to information" (but not due process, as reported in the international media) during a state of national emergency. Another would allow the President and the National Assembly to create new federal districts and provinces.

Some of these provisions have drawn opposition even among Chavez's supporters. If they are approved, it will likely be because the majority of voters trust Chavez and the government not to abuse their powers.

This is certainly important, relevant information that the media in the US (and me) have failed to note so far.