Venezuela National Assembly Elections, Dec. 6 2015

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Basically, just like the last time oil prices crashed in the late 80's (which would end up being the catalyst for the rise of Chavez as a popular figure of discontent), the system has been very much shown up as overly dependent on black gold, and without it, the structural deficiencies in the economy are painfully obvious. The era of Chavez has closed. I'm not a huge fan of the man - although he was heaps more competent than, say, Perez and Caldera - because of his autocratic tendencies flagged up by numerous independent observers, his overly bellicose behaviour on the international scene, and his failure to fix the Dutch disease that cripples many economies set up like Venezuela's (the oil fund was entirely at the executive's discretion, which is a bad idea). Despite that, Chavez to his credit dramatically attacked poverty in the country and has definitely improved rural health and education. Much like many leaders in the third world, he must be seen in context. Not as a monster or a despot, but as a man who did some good, and a lot of bad.

The Venezuelan semi-proportional system is curiously gerrymandered, so in a neutral year it will be a struggle for MUD, but I don't doubt they'll make it. What will be interesting of course, is what they do after. The Venezuelan political system is set up so that the opposition are only really united by their loathing of Chavez and his cronies. Much like many parties where a dominant party attracts all the managerial talent and ambitions, their is a risk of MUD coming to power and ... not doing anything. Certainly they can't raise the price of oil because that's under the control of the Sauds and their mad game, and Venezuelan democracy isn't strong enough to the point they can start ripping up price controls unilaterally without risking a coup by an ambitious populist.

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Does anything really define MUd as a cocnceptual entity beyond anti-Chavezism?

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in a SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT Maduro has just taken from Congress the ability to control appointees to the Central Bank but also withhold data if it deems its publication a threat to national security or economic stability. I assume eventually the body will be used for renaming postoffices or something.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

in a SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT Maduro has just taken from Congress the ability to control appointees to the Central Bank but also withhold data if it deems its publication a threat to national security or economic stability. I assume eventually the body will be used for renaming postoffices or something.

Not even that, apparently.