In 1933, Hitler did not bother going to the voters. Instead, the freely elected Reichstag appointed him dictator.
On Sunday, voters went to the polls in two strategically important oil producing nations. In both Russia and OPEC member Venezuela, the people were asked to voluntarily forfeit their liberty.
In a victory for democracy and human dignity, Venezuelan voters rejected Hugo Chavez’s attempt to become a legally elected “president for life”. The vote was 51% to 49% against the Chavez proposal. However, Venezuela is not out of the woods yet. The wannabe dictator is likely to find some other way to get “appointed”.
Venezuelan voters delivered a stinging defeat to President Hugo Chávez on Sunday, blocking proposed constitutional changes that would have given him political supremacy and accelerated the transformation of this oil-rich country into a socialist state.
Hours after the final ballots were cast, the National Electoral Council announced at 1:15 a.m. local time Monday that voters, by a margin of 51 to 49 percent, had rejected 69 reforms to the 1999 constitution. The modifications would have permitted the president to stand for reelection indefinitely, appoint governors to provinces he would create and control Venezuela’s sizable foreign reserves.
Chávez immediately went on national television and conceded before a roomful of government allies and other supporters. “I thank you and I congratulate you,” Chávez said calmly, directing his comments to his foes. “I recognize the decision a people have made.” Chávez admitted, though, that he had found himself in a quandary on Sunday night as votes were being tallied, because the vote was so close. But he said that with nearly 90 percent of 9 million ballots counted, it became clear that his opponents’ victory was irreversible. “I came out of the dilemma,” he said, “and I am calm
Meanwhile, in Russia, voters took a giant step towards dictatorship. Vladimir Putin won the right to stay in power indefinitely. Whether it ends up a fascist state or returns to its communist roots, the news can not but put a chill in the hearts of Eastern Europeans, who increasingly depend on the Russian bear for oil and natural gas. The CNBC talking heads, who urge viewers to invest in Russia, are nuts.
European election monitors said Monday that Russia’s parliamentary ballot was unfair, hours after President Vladimir Putin’s party swept 70 percent of the seats in the new legislature.
The victory paves the way for Putin to remain Russia’s de facto leader even after he leaves office next spring. On Monday, Putin described the weekend’s election as a vote of confidence in him.
“I headed the United Russia ticket and, of course, it’s a sign of public trust,” Putin said in televised remarks.
Sunday’s vote followed a tense Kremlin campaign that relied on a combination of persuasion and intimidation to ensure victory for the United Russia party and for Putin, who has used a flood of oil revenues to move his country into a more assertive position on the global stage.
