A Man From the Provinces. The Opposition is Rising in Venezuela

Chavez’s constant drip of vitriol against the USA has gained him worldwide notoriety. Capitalizing on widespread anti-US sentiment Chavez has become the de facto representative of Earth’s ‘oppressed;’ the patron saint of many a radical movement. To this observer his foray into the international arena is only a replication of the policy that got him elected in Venezuela in 1998: i.e. give lip service to opinions held by the majority and reap the benefits.

Fortunately Venezuela a dark horse has entered the political fray, a man from the provinces. But not just any province but Zulia, Venezuela’s main oil-producing state which, additionally, has close to 2 million registered voters. Manuel Rosales is the governor of Zulia. He was first elected in 2000 and, against all odds, re-elected in 2004 by a wide margin. He did so by beating Chavez’s hand-picked candidate.

That fact should give pause to those who think that Chavez’s election machine is unbeatable. None of this transpired in the slums of Caracas’s — from which Chavez draws his support — much less from international circles.

Last Saturday Rosales went to Caracas to register his Presidential candidacy with electoral authorities. Not many in power thought much of it before it occurred. To them it was just another lackluster political act from the opposition not worthy of attention. But Rosales has proved everyone wrong.

As the picture here shows an unexpectedly huge crowd turned out at the Rosales rally to hear him speak: “I will govern for 26 million Venezuelans, not only for those who don red t-shirts to get government handouts” he said, alluding to Chavez’s discriminatory regime whilst appealing to the ever growing number his disgruntled Chavistas. Interestingly, many in the crowd attending the rally were barrio people. This suggests that Chavez may not be doing as well as is believed with that part of the populace after nearly 8 years of neglect, unabated criminality and rampant corruption.

Rosales promised, “I shall give scholarships instead or rifles… I won’t seat in anyone’s lap nor will I hold hands with anybody, I respect the people of Venezuela…” This in reference to Chavez’s constant warmongering and his close relationship with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

The repercussions from Rosales’ rally are far reaching. Former rivals of Rosales have put their presidential ambitions on hold to work in Rosales’ campaign. Teodoro Petkoff has been appointed Rosales’ National Strategy Advisor and Julio Borges, from the party Primero Justicia, will be Rosales’ vice-president should he win the race. The list of appointees working towards the success of his bid reads like a who’s who of Venezuelan opposition politics.

Rosales has been able to rally the opposition forces behind him, embracing them all. At the rally he said that Venezuelan resources should serve, first and foremost, the interest of Venezuelans; that in order to redistribute wealth, it has to be created first; that sanctity of contracts and private property is a must for any developing nation. He spoke of wishes to uniting rather than dividing the country, and that people must return to earning things through work rather than receiving them as plunder via government-sanctioned expropriations. It was just the sort of speech Venezuelans have been waiting to hear for a long time.

The reaction from the Chavez officialdom couldn’t have been more predictable. Instead of accepting the premise that Venezuelans are weary of nearly 8 years of war mongering, the instigation of violence, and hatred-filled speeches, the regime called forth the Mayor of Greater Caracas Juan Barreto to prepare the country for what it is to come. Two days ago Barreto held a meeting with two of the most successful young politicians of the country, the elected mayors of Chacao and Baruta. The purpose of the meeting was to hurl abuse at them, and then work a horde of Chavistas into a frenzy with the intention of getting them lynched. In the course of the meeting, Mayor Barreto was heard shouting “kill those dogs.”

In less than a fortnight Manuel Rosales and those allied with him have redefined the political debate in Venezuela. With the Rosales candidacy the future for the country now appears to a choice between two roads: freedom or slavery, peace or violence, democracy or authoritarianism, prosperity or abject poverty.

Because of this the international community has a crucial role to play in Venezuela at this time. Time and again over the last four years officials in the corridors of power asked me, “Where’s the alternative candidate that we can back against Chavez?” Well, he has arrived. He is Manuel Rosales, a man from the provinces.

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An exclusive article from Pajamas Media, the Best of the Blogs, and POLITICSCENTRAL.