Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

A Debate on Hugo Chavez and Venezuela’s Failed Constitutional Reform

[Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was handed his first electoral loss since winning the presidency seven years ago when he narrowly lost a controversial referendum on 69 proposed changes to the constitution earlier this month. Below a debate hosted recently by Democracy Now between Greg Wilpert, author of 'Changing Venezuela by Taking Power', and Francisco Rodriguez, the former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly .]

What Does the 'No' Vote Mean?

[The Nation recently asked five U.S. analysts for their views on the defeat of constitutional reforms championed by President Hugo Chávez. In the article below, one of the contributors, assistant professor of sociology at Queens College, City University of New York, Sujatha Fernandes, argues that the referendum defeat provides an opportunity to reorient the course of the revolution away from determining how to keep Chávez in power indefinitely and proposing reforms from above, and toward promoting alternative and local sources of leadership and facilitating a plural public debate about the future of socialism.]

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez gestures in this Dec. 3, 2007, file photo, during the press conference in Caracas where he acknowledged his defeat in a referendum that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely and impose a socialist system. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano/FILE)

Venezuela: Democracy Diary

[Red Pepper editor Hilary Wainwright recently visited Venezuela as an international observer of the democracy of the election process and found it in many ways more democratic than in the UK. Wainwright also ended up observing the internal democracy of the Chavista movement itself and found at its grassroots an inspiring commitment to pluralism, critical debate, and popular autonomy from which we also have much to learn. For a Spanish version of this article click here.]

The Listening Post- Venezuelan referendum- 07 Dec 07- Part 1

[Aljazeera's The Listening Post asks what effect Venezuela's recent Constitutional referendum will have on the western media's confrontational relationship with Hugo Chavez.]

Why did Abstention Win?

[For Venezuelan sociologist Javier Biardeau the scenery of a political defeat with a high abstention rate, even if it had resulted in a pyrrhic election victory, places the strategic leadership of the revolution in the only rational and emotional space necessary to overcome the current situation: to recognise mistakes and correct them, starting with the one sided view of the infallibility of the leader. Click here to read the original Spanish version of this article.]

Concession Speech of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela

[Below is an English translation of President's Chavez's concession speech following the defeat  of his constitutional reform proposal in a referendum. The constitutional reform referendum, which Chavez described as the most important vote of his presidency, was to help bring about "21st century socialism in Venezuela".]

Keep the Record Straight

[For John Pilger some journalists in the mainstream media fail to report the facts when dealing with Venezuela, preferring instead to parrot Washington's line.]

Pro-Chavez Leaders Examine Reasons for Venezuelan Referendum Loss

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Chris Carlson reports on how in the aftermath of Sunday's constitutional reform referendum defeat, various pro-Chavez leaders have called for an examination of the reasons for their failure to get the reform approved.]

Former Venezuelan Vice-President José Vicente Rangel presented his interpretation for why the constitutional reform referendum was defeated. (AP)

Chavez: Defeat in Venezuelan Constitutional Reform is “For Now”

[Venezuelanalysis.com editor Gregory Wilpert reports on the speech given by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez following the defeat of his proposal to reform the country's 1999 Constitution. For the first time in nine years, after winning twelve nation-wide electoral contests, Chavez conceded defeat, using his trademark phrase "for now." In effect, he promised that this electoral setback, which gave the opposition a razor-thin margin in defeating his constitutional reform proposal with a vote of 50.7% to 49.3%, was just temporary and that he will continue to pursue the policies outlined in the reform.]

President Chavez holds up a copy of the 1999 constitutiona, which he wanted to reform (Alfonso Ocando/Prensa Presidencial)

Chavez Concedes Venezuela's Constitutional Reform Lost in "Foto Finish"

[Venezuelanalysis.com report on Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) announcement early Monday morning that the No vote against the President's constitutional reform proposal won by 50.7% to 49.3%,  with 45% abstention. Chavez conceded that the reform proposal lost "for now." For a Spanish version of this news and to see a video of the CNE's announcement in Spanish click here.]