Chavez Charisma Void Filled by Maduro Muscle as Venezuelans Vote
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has sent troops into the streets, clamped down on the press and sidestepped Congress to intensify what he calls the war against the “parasitic bourgeoisie” ahead of local elections.
The opposition says the Dec. 8 vote to elect 337 mayors and 2,455 councilors is a referendum on Maduro, as Venezuelans cope with the fastest inflation in the world, blackouts, water cuts and a surge in violence. Maduro says the vote is a chance to show loyalty to the late President Hugo Chavez, who reduced poverty by more than half in his 14-year tenure.
Maduro’s answer to inflation has been to deploy soldiers to enforce price cuts in electronic stores last month and seize an Irish-owned packaging company last week, saying companies can’t overcharge consumers. He has also pledged to lower prices for cars and commercial rent, warning business owners that he is “going all the way” after lawmakers gave him the power to rule by decree last month.
“Maduro inherited Chavez’s power but not his great skill to communicate with the masses and his charisma,” Andres Canizalez, a professor of Communication at Venezuela’s Catholic University and director of the media advocacy group Monitoreo Ciudadano, said in a phone interview in Caracas. “That void has been replaced by more authoritarianism and censorship.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-06/chavez-charisma-void-filled-by-maduro-muscle-as-venezuelans-vote.html